Effectiveness of carthamus tinctorius L. in the restitution of lipid composition in irradiated rats

Lipid peroxidation is a well known example of oxidative damage in cell membranes, lipoproteins, and other lipid-containing structures. The degenerative process of lipid peroxidation is induced under conditions of oxidative stress. This study was designated to evaluate in one aspect, the susceptibility of blood and liver lipid fractions to oxidative stress under influence of whole body gamma irradiation (6.5 Gy). The other aspect was to investigate the compensatory role of the Safflower extract (Carthamus tinctorius L., Composite) a premier oil containing the highest levels of polyunsaturated fats (rich in n-6 PUFA) to maintain and restore the biological membranes from oxidative stress. Mixture of safflower essential oils and hydro-alcoholic extract was orally administered to Sprague Dawley rats by gavages vehicle (150 mg/ Kg body wt) for 21 successive days before exposure to y-rays and 7 days after irradiation. Exposure to y-rays resulted in significant increase in triacylglycerols, phospholipids, cholesterol indices and MDA contents. Meanwhile, the results show a significant decline in most fractionated unsaturated fatty acids concentrations. The administration of safflower essential oils and ethanolic extract exerted a noticeable compensation in the radiation-induced changes in most of the studied parameters. The results point out the promising role of safflower, a natural product, on oxidative damage and lipid composition.