Protective Effects of A. sativa against Oxidative Stress-Induced Liver Damage in Ovariectomized Mice

Postmenopausal women express great failure in their ovarian hormone production, especially estrogen. This deficiency may promote hypercholesterolemia and accelerate the redox imbalance. The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of Avena sativa against estrogen deficiency-induced liver and uterus oxidative injury in experimental ovariectomized mice. Female mice were randomly divided into five groups: group one (negative control) received normal diet and distilled water (C), group two (positive control) received daily enriched diet with oat grains and was kept on tap distilled water at a dose of 200 mg kg^-1 d^-1 (A), group three (ovariectomized mice) was nontreated fed with normal diet (O), group four includes ovariectomized mice treated daily with estradiol given by intraperitoneal injection at a dose of 100 μg kg^-1 d^-1 (OE), and the fifth group also includes ovariectomized mice which received enriched diet with oat grain parts with the same dose given to group two. The treatment period lasted two consecutive months. Both oat and hormonal treatments of ovariectomized groups resulted in a significant reduction in triglycerides and total cholesterol and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in the plasma after 21 and 60 days of treatment. Besides, the coadministration of A. sativa has decreased the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and increased transaminase activities after 21 and 60 days of treatment. On the other hand, this cereal has restored the enzymatic (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and nonenzymatic antioxidant activities (GSH) as well as the elevated thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (AOPP and PCO) to near-normal values. The beneficial effects of this cereal were confirmed by a histological study of the liver and uterus of all previous cited groups. Our finding emphasized the antioxidant and antilipidemic effect of oat grain part, suggesting the use of this cereal in the prevention of liver and uterus diseases that occurred in postmenopausal women.