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Prophylactic Effects of Garlic Oil and Onion Oil Fractions as Compared to Vitamin E on Rats Orally Fed with Lead Acetate Solution

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Abstract

Heavy metal pollution is a global public health challenge due to its stable and persistent environmental contamination. Of these lead is considered to be one of the most common ubiquitous and industrial pollutants and at low concentration it exerts extensive damages to the tissues. Daily feeding of lead acetate solution (Dose: 10 mg/kg/day) to normal rats for a month adversely altered the parameters of blood, serum and tissues, viz; RBC, WBC, Hb, ɗ- ALAD (Delta amino levulinic acid dehydratase), Pb content, lipids, oxidized lipids (TBARS), vitamins C and E and GSH levels and activities of AST, ALT and antioxidant enzymes viz; catalase, GR, Gpx and SOD. In order to study whether antioxidants have any effect to counteract the toxicity of lead we have selected comparatively better active allium fractions for the study viz: polar fraction of garlic (PFG) and polar fraction of onion (PFO). On feeding of these active fractions of garlic and onion oils i.e. their polar fractions and vitamin E (Dose 100 mg/kg/day) separately for a month along with or without lead acetate to rats each nutraceutical and vitamin E counteracted the adverse effects of Pb significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Their effects are in the order of PFG > PFO > Vitamin E. All these results point out that garlic and onion oils contain natural disulfoxide compounds which act as antioxidant and anti toxic to lead compounds. Their comparative differences in action may be due to the presence and position of double bonds and disulfide oxide bonds in their molecules. i.e., in PFG the allyl disulfide oxide group is present and in PFO saturated methyl and propyl groups and unsaturated propenyl group are present in place of allyl groups. The former group confers a better antioxidant activity on PFG, while the latter groups confer a lesser activity on PFO.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge with thanks Prof. Sathya Sudha Devi head of the department of biochemistry and the management of Sreemookambika Medical College, Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari (Dist), TN for giving me the facilities for doing the animal experiments and laboratory analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Science, Kannur University, Palayad, Thalassery, Kannur, India

    G. R. Sajitha & K. T. Augusti

  2. Sree Gokulam Medical College, Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram, India

    Regi Jose

Authors
  1. G. R. Sajitha
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  2. K. T. Augusti
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  3. Regi Jose
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Correspondence to K. T. Augusti.

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G. R. Sajitha, K. T. Augusti, Regi Jose declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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“All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.”

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Sajitha, G.R., Augusti, K.T. & Jose, R. Prophylactic Effects of Garlic Oil and Onion Oil Fractions as Compared to Vitamin E on Rats Orally Fed with Lead Acetate Solution. Ind J Clin Biochem 31, 260–269 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-015-0526-9

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