Effect of Pomegranate Juice on Paraoxonase Enzyme Activity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pomegranate juice (PJ) on the paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of human serum paraoxonase( PON1). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Fifty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus consumed 200 ml of PJ daily for a period of 6 weeks. Blood was collected from the patients before and after PJ consumption after 12 h of fasting. Blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-C were measured by enzymatic kit method and autoanalyzer. The concentration of LDL-C was calculated by using Friedwald formula. The malondialdehyde concentration (μmol/L) was determined by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. Paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of PON1 enzyme were measured using paraoxone and phenylacetate as the substrates. RESULTS: The concentration of fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL-C and malondialdehyde significantly (p<0.001) decreased after the intervention. Paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of PON1 significantly (p<0.001) increased after the intervention. However, there were no significant changes in serum triglyceride and HDL-C. There was a significant positive correlation between paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of PON1 and serum HDL-C concentration. A significant negative correlation was detected between paraoxonase and arylesterase activity of PON1 and FBS. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that PJ consumption as an antioxidant may have a contribution in changing fasting blood sugar, lipid profiles, lipoprotein oxidation, and PON1 activity.