Evaluation of Balanites aegyptiaca oil as untraditional source of oil and its anti-inflammatory activity

ABSTRACT

The aim of this investigation was to study the physiochemical characteristics of Balanites aegyptiaca [BA] kernel oil. The influence of BA oil on liver and kidney functions in rat's serum was investigated. The anti-inflammatory activity of BA kernel oil using carrageenan-induced paw edema and arachidonic acid-induced ear edema in rats was also studied. The results revealed that the kernel had high contents of oil and protein. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid. However, carbohydrates were the major constituents of the pulp. It was found that the supplementations of BA kernel oil had no significant effect on liver and kidney functions of rats. BA oil by 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg orally produced significant anti-inflammatory effect on both carrageenan and arachidonic acid models. The BA oil improved decreases in the activities of catalase [CAT], glutathione-S-transferase [GST] enzymes and increases nitric oxide [NO] and lipid peroxidation [LPO] contents resulting from edema induced by carrgeenan. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alhpa] and interleukin-6 [IL-6] were decreased leading to the reduction of cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2] and subsequently alleviated edema BA oil after BA oil treatment. These results indicated that BA oil could be exploited as a new source of oil. Also, it could be used as a source of dietary supplements to prevent inflammatory diseases