The effects of Ziziphus jujuba fruit extract on catalase activity and lipid peroxidation in the heart and erythrocytes of rats following chronic ethanol consumption

Chronic ethanol consumption leads to oxidative stress in the heart and erythrocytes of rats. As Ziziphus jujuba fruit has been shown to have potent antioxidants, such as flavonoids, we conducted this study to evaluate the effects of aqueous fruit extracts from Z. jujuba on rat hearts and erythrocytes following chronic ethanol consumption. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control, Z. jujuba fruit extract treated (200 mg/kg, p.o.), ethanol (4 g/kg, p.o.) and Z. jujuba plus ethanol. The animals were treated orally for consecutive 8 weeks. At the end of experiment, catalase (CAT) activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentration (an indicator of lipid peroxidation) were measured in the heart and erythrocytes of rats. The results showed that the concentration of TBARS was significantly lower, and CAT activity higher in erythrocyte homogenates of ethanol-treated rats that were pretreated with fruit extract, compared with rats treated with ethanol alone. However, the fruit extract had no effect on TBARS concentration or CAT activity in rat heart tissue. This finding indicates that the antioxidant properties of Z. jujuba fruit extract protect erythrocytes against ethanol-induced oxidative stress, but are not sufficient to protect the heart.