Red Palm Oil Supplementation Ameliorates Oxidative Stress in Rats Injected with Tert-Butylhydroperoxide

Abstract

Potential benefits of dietary supplementation as quenching agent against oxidative stress-related conditions has been extensively 
investigated. Red palm oil (RPO), from the tropical plant Elaeis guineensis has captivated much interest in the health sector 
lately; hence the aim to assess the potential effects of RPO supplementation on the antioxidant status and protection against 
oxidative damage in experimentally-induced oxidative stress male Wistar rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four 
groups (n=5). Rats were fed 0.175g RPO (7g RPO/kg chow) supplementation for 6 weeks. Oxidative stress was induced by 
intraperitoneal injections of 0.5mL (20µM/100g of body weight) organic tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP). All parameters were 
determined in plasma and erythrocytes by using appropriate methods. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM. Exposure to t-BHP 
caused a significant increase in malondialdehydes (MDA) levels in plasma of non-supplemented rats. MDA was significantly 
reduced by RPO-supplementation. This proved that RPO-supplementation reduced the increase in MDA level induced by t-BHP 
injection, thereby protecting cellular integrity against induced oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased 
significantly (p<0.05) in group supplemented with RPO not induced with oxidative stress. This suggests that RPO 
supplementation could also improve antioxidant status in a biological system. RPO supplementation offers a protective effect 
against lipid peroxidation in an oxidative stress-induced biological system and that RPO supplementation had potential benefits 
in improving antioxidant status.