Protective Effects of Nigella Sativa Against Acrylamide-Induced Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands of Albino Rats: A Histological and Molecular Study

Taghyan, Salma Awad; Mahmoud, Elham Fathy; Taha, Rasha Mohamed; Shamel, Mohamed

doi:10.22092/ari.2025.367464.3394

Protective Effects of Nigella Sativa Against Acrylamide-Induced Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands of Albino Rats: A Histological and Molecular Study

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Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

¹ Department of Oral biology, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt

² Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

³ Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt

10.22092/ari.2025.367464.3394

Abstract

Acrylamide (AA), a chemical compound that is a major public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of nigella sativa (NS) oil against AA induced toxicity on the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs) of Albino rats. Thirty male albino rats weighing 150 – 200 gm were equally and randomly divided into the control group, which received normal saline vehicle daily via oral gavage for 30 days, AA group received 15 mg/kg body weight of AA dissolved in 0.2 ml saline solution daily via oral gavage for 30 days. NS group received 15 mg/kg bw of AA combined with 1 ml/kg bw of NS oil daily via oral gavage for 30 days. The rats were euthanized, and SMGs were dissected for histological evaluation, including hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and immunohistochemistry for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), as well as analysis for heme-oxygenase-1 gene (HO-1) expression using real-time Polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The acinar and ductal cells of SMG of the AA group showed signs of degeneration and toxicity in the form of ill-defined outlines, pyknotic and crescent-shaped nuclei with different-sized cytoplasmic vacuolations that were statistically significant, with an increase in iNOS immunoexpression and HO-1 gene expression (p < 0.0001). NS administration alleviated the toxic effect following AA exposure and down-regulated the iNOS and HO-1 gene expression. The study revealed a significant cytotoxic effect of AA on SMGs of albino rats (p < 0.05), presumably by the generation of oxidative stresses and mitochondrial dysfunction. NS effectively mitigated these toxic effects, suggesting its potential as a natural antioxidant.

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