article · Life
Acrylamide is an industrial chemical and a toxic compound produced when heating high-carbohydrate foods and tobacco, causing oxidative stress and organ toxicity. Research on male Wistar rats evaluated whether an extract derived from pomegranate peel protects against liver and systemic damage caused by oral acrylamide exposure. In the animal trials, acrylamide administration significantly elevated liver and kidney injury markers, inflammatory cytokines, and lipid peroxidation, while depleting natural antioxidant defences. Supplementation with pomegranate-peel extract, administered either concurrently or as a pre-treatment, counteracted these harmful changes. The extract lowered inflammatory proteins and malondialdehyde levels, restored crucial antioxidant enzymes, and normalised markers related to inflammation and cell death. Additionally, the extract stimulated beneficial gene expression linked to cellular protection, confirming its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties against acrylamide-induced toxicity.
Acrylamide is widely consumed through common fried or baked carbohydrate-rich foods and tobacco smoke, posing risks of tissue and organ toxicity. Identifying natural compounds that mitigate this damage helps address an unavoidable dietary and industrial hazard. Demonstrating that pomegranate-peel extract shields liver and kidney function provides insight into dietary antioxidants that counteract chemical-induced oxidative stress and systemic inflammation.
This research is at an early experimental stage, evaluated solely in rat models. The findings could potentially enable the development of protective dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, or functional food additives derived from agricultural by-products such as pomegranate peels. Potential users include nutraceutical manufacturers and food safety product developers seeking natural protective formulations against dietary toxins, though clinical trials in humans would be required before real-world commercial application.
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The Acrylamide is a toxic compound generated under oxidative stress arising from intracellular ROS production and induced toxicity. It is frequently used in industry and generated through the heating of tobacco and foods high in carbohydrates. The exact mechanism of its toxicity is still unclear. In this study, an extract of the peels of pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i> L.), a nutritious and visually appealing fruit with a diverse bioactive profile, was examined for its potential anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. A total of 40 adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups of 10 rats each: Group 1 was a negative-control group (CNT) and received normal saline; Group 2 was a positive-control acrylamide group and received acrylamide orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg/bw; in Group 3, the rats were supplemented with pomegranate-peel extract (P.P; 150 mg/kg/bw) orally on a daily basis for 3 weeks, administered simultaneously with the acrylamide treatment described for Group 2; Group 4 was a protective group, and the animals received the pomegranate-peel extract and acrylamide as stated for Groups 2 and 3, with the pomegranate-peel extract (P.P. extract) administered 1 week earlier than the acrylamide. The results indicate that acrylamide exposure increased the serum levels of AST, ALT, creatinine, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 in an extraordinary manner. In addition, it increased the lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde (MDA) and simultaneously weakened antioxidant biomarker activities (SOD, GSH, and catalase) and reduced the levels of interleukin-10. The pomegranate-peel extract was shown to reduce the inflammatory blood markers of interleukin-1 beta and IL-6. Glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and interleukin-10 were all significantly elevated in comparison to the acrylamide-treatment group as a result of the significant reduction in MDA levels induced by the P.P extract. In addition, the pomegranate-peel extract normalized the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), and caspase-3 levels, with a significant upregulation of the mRNA expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2), and Bcl-2. Therefore, these data reveal that pomegranate peel has anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, free-radical-scavenging, and powerful antioxidant activity that protects against acrylamide toxicity.
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DOI: 10.3390/life12020224
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