Effect of Palm Oil and Nigella Sativa in Aorta and Coronary Arteries of Albino Rats

Aim: To study the effect of palm oil and Nigella sativa on the aorta and coronary arteries of albino rats. Methods: Sixty albino rats including equal number of males and females were obtained from PCSIR Laboratories, Lahore. After overnight fasting of 12-14 hour all the animals were weighed and zero and 24 weeks. The rats were divided into five groups of twelve animals each. Each group had six males and six females kept in separate cages. At this stage the twelve animals of group C0 were sacrificed as the control group for all the other groups to compare age changes. Then the experimental diet was started for the remaining four groups labeled as C1, E1, C2 and E2 based on the diets fed: C1 (control group fed on 3% palm kernel oil), E1 (experimental group fed on 3% palm kernel oil with Nigella sativa), C2 (control group fed on 20% palm kernel oil with cholic acid and thiouracil acid) and E2 (experimental group fed on 20% palm kernel oil with cholic acid, thiouracil acid and Nigella sativa). First sample was collected as baseline before starting the experimental and control diets (0 week) and the second blood sample was collected at the end of the experiment i.e. after 24 weeks. Two cc blood was drawn from each rat. At 24 weeks, after collecting blood samples, the rats were placed in an ether jar till death. The abdominal and thoracic cavities were opened through a median incision. The hearts and aortae were cleared. Biopsy specimens were kept in labeled jars for fixation containing 10% neutral buffered formalin. Then the specimens were subjected to gross and microscopic examination. Results: Weight gain was statistically significant when experimental group E1 was compared with control group C1 and highly significant when experimental group E2 was compared with control group C2. When the aortae were opened with there were neither fatty streaks nor atheromatous plaques in the aortae of all experimental and group animals. Narrowing of coronary arteries was not observed in any of the groups. Palm oil increased the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, decreased the high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in all groups at 24 weeks as compared to 0 week samples. Nigella sativa decreased serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels which were highly significant. Conclusion: Although there was significant weight gain and elevation of total cholesterol and lipids, these failed to produce atherosclerotic lesions in the experimental rats on Palm kernel oil in 24 weeks,