Investigation of the Protective Effect of Thymoquinone on the Livers of the Obese Rats Induced by a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Aim: Obesity, which reduces the quality of life and forms the basis of many diseases, is caused by the imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. The increase in calories consumed and fat accumulation in the body also cause many health problems. Obesity-related fatty liver and liver damage are one of these diseases. Fatty liver causes deterioration of functions and, accordingly, changes in homeostasis. Thymoquinone, an antioxidant, is preferred for liver damage. This study aimed to examine the protective effect of thymoquinone on liver damage caused by obesity. Materials and Methods: In our study, 24 adult male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (n: 6). Non-obese control (NOC) and non-obese thymoquinone (NTQ) groups were fed with standard chow; obese control (OC), obese-thymoquinone (OTQ) groups were fed with high-fat diet (40% of calories from fat) for 15 weeks. All treatment groups were given 10 mg/kg thymoquinone i. p. for six weeks. After the experimental study, the subjects were placed under intracardiac perfusion, and liver tissues were removed. Liver samples were subjected to tissue processing and cut into five μm thick sections for stereological and histopathological analyses. The obtained samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The preparations were examined under a camera microscope, liver and sinusoid volumes were analyzed using the Cavalieri method, and hepatocyte counts were analyzed using the physical dissector method. Results: In the volumetric analyses, an increase was observed in both total liver and sinusoid volumes in the OC group compared to the NOC group. Again, in both volume analyses, it was observed that the volumes in the OTQ groups decreased compared to the OC groups. In the examination of the hepatocyte count, an increase was observed in the OC group compared to the NOC group, while it was observed that it decreased in the OTQ groups compared to the OC groups. In addition, it was observed that the number of hepatocytes in the NTQ group increased significantly compared to the NOC group. When histopathological analyses were examined, ballooned hepatocytes were selected in the OC group, while this ballooning was not observed in the OTQ group. Conclusion: Considering the analyses and the data obtained, thymoquinone may have a protective effect on obesity-induced liver damage. In addition, more comprehensive analyses should examine the pathways through which this effect progresses.

Keywords

• thymoquinone
• liver
• obesity
• hepatoprotective effect; stereology

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