The modulation effect of green tea and pumpkin oils on hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, and hematological abnormalities in an experimental multiple sclerosis rat model

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that can impair the body’s physiological functions. Although many diseases have been successfully treated with herbal treatments for a long time, the majority of the herbs utilized have unclear mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the modulation effects of green tea oil (GTO) and pumpkin oil (PO) on hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, and hematological abnormalities in an experimental multiple sclerosis rat model. Forty albino male Wistar rats (weighing 120–140 g) were divided into four groups of six each: group 1, the control group; group 2, the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-injected group; and groups 3 and 4, the MOG-injected groups treated with GTO and PO at 5 mg/kg b.w., respectively. At the end of the experiments, animals were anesthetized with diethyl ether inhalation, and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein. A Beckman Coulter was then used to determine the differential complete blood counts. The obtained serum was rapidly collected and stored at 20 °C to assess the lipid profile and oxidative stress and antioxidant biomarkers. Our findings showed that GTO and PO treatment produced a significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels. Furthermore, GTO and PO treatment alleviated the elevated cardiovascular risk indices 1 and 2. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentration significantly decreased and glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels significantly increased in rats injected with MOG and treated with GTO and PO. Furthermore, after GTO and PO treatment, the reduced red blood cells (RBCs) count, hemoglobin content (Hb%), lymphocyte percentage, and hematocrit (HCT) of MOG-injected rats increased, while the elevated white blood cells (WBCs), platelet, and neutrophil percentage substantially declined. Collectively, our research revealed that GTO and PO may be capable of modulating hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, and hematological abnormalities in the MS rat model.