Effects of black cumin seed oil on oxidative stress and expression of membrane-cytoskeleton linker proteins, radixin, and moesin in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat liver

Background and Aim: This study examined the effects of black cumin seed oil treatment on oxidative stress and the expression of radixin and moesin in the liver of experimental diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Eighteen rats were divided into 3 equal groups (control, diabetes, treatment). The control group was not exposed to any experimental treatment. Streptozotocin was administered to the rats in the diabetes and treatment groups. A 2.5 mL/kg dose of black cumin seed oil was administered daily for 56 days to the treatment group. At the conclusion of the experiment, the blood level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) was measured. The expression level and the cellular distribution of radixin and moesin in the liver were analyzed. Results: The plasma MDA (3.05 +/- 0.45 nmol/mL) and GSH (78.49 +/- 20.45 mu mol/L) levels in the diabetes group were significantly different (p<0.01) from the levels observed in the control group (MDA: 1.09 +/- 0.31 nmol/mL, GSH: 277.29 +/- 17.02 mu mol/L) and the treatment group (MDA: 1.40 +/- 0.53 nmol/mL, GSH: 132.22 +/- 11.81 mu mol/L). Immunohistochemistry and western blotting analyses indicated that while the level of radixin was not significantly between the groups (p>0.05) and moesin expression was significantly downregulated (p<0.05) in the experimental group, the treatment was ineffective. Conclusion: The administered dose was sufficient to prevent oxidative stress, but was not sufficient to alleviate the effects of diabetes on moesin expression in hepatic sinusoidal cells.