Effect of different concentrations of red palm olein on antioxidant enzymes activity of rat liver

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of red palm olein (RPO) on antioxidant enzymes activity of rat liver. Seventy eight (78) rats were randomly divided into thirteen (13) groups of 6 rats per group and treated with different concentrations of RPO (5, 10 and 15%) for 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Rats in the control group were given normal rat pellet only, while those in treated groups, 5, 10 and 15% of additional RPO were given. After 2, 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, the catalase (CAT) activity results showed that there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the control group and the treated groups. The mean value of the catalase activity after 2 weeks in control group for 5, 10, and 15% were 1328, 1612, 1298 and 1270 U/mg, respectively. For superoxide dismutase (SOD), there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the control group and treated groups after 2 and 8 weeks of treatment but there was significant difference (P<0.05) in the 15% RPO group after 4 weeks.

Keywords: Red palm olein, catalase, superoxide dismutase, vitamin E.