RESEARCH TITLE: Pomegranate peel extract decreases small intestine lipid peroxidation by enhancing activities of major antioxidant enzymes
COUNTRIES: France
CONDUCTED BY: Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, Département de Physiologie Animale et Systèmes D’Elevage, Jouy-en-Josas, France; Physiologie de la Nutrition et du Comportement Alimentaire, AgroParisTech, Paris, France; Unité de Biochimie Hormonale et Nutritionnelle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble, Département de Biologie – Toxicologie – pharmacologie, France
PUBLISHED ON: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
RESEACH:
Abstract
Background
Pomegranate peel extract contains several compounds with antioxidative properties. Addition of Pomegranate peel extract to foods may interact with endogenous antioxidants and promote health outcome.
However, little is known about the biochemical mechanisms by which Pomegranate peel extract exert their actions on tissues of biological systems in vivo. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Pomegranate peel extract on activities of antioxidant enzymes.
Mice were used to investigate the effects of Pomegranate peel extract on plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tissue MDA content and activities of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), SOD2 and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the small intestine, liver and skeletal muscle, different tissues involved in the digestion, absorption and metabolism of dietary nutrients. Control mice were fed with a standard diet, while treated mice were fed for 40 days the standard diet containing 5% or 10% Pomegranate peel extract.
Results
Mice fed the 10% Pomegranate peel extract diet exhibited lower plasma MDA concentrations, reduced contents of MDA in the small intestine and liver and higher levels of SOD1 and GPX activities in the small intestine compared to the mice fed the control diet.
Conclusions
These findings demonstrates that intake of Pomegranate peel extract in diet attenuates small intestine lipid peroxidation and strengthens the first line of small intestine antioxidant defenses by enhancing enzymatic antioxidative pathways. Pomegranate peel extract is worthy of further study as a therapeutic approach to prevent peroxidative stress-induced gut pathogenesis.
YEAR: 2015