AMELIORATION BY BLACK SEED (NIGELLA SATIVA) OIL OF HEPATO-HISTOPATHOLOGIES INDUCED IN MICE BY EXPOSURE TO THE TRI-FLUORIDATED PYRETHROID INSECTICIDE BIFENTHRIN

The rescuing potential of the oil of Nigella sativa (NS) seeds on the hepato-histopathologies of liver induced with bifenthrin (BF) exposure were explored in 12-15-week-old male Swiss Webster mice. Six groups of five animals (n=5) were studied: (i) VC (vehicle control) group (0.1 mL corn oil once daily for 14 days); (ii) NS group (corn oil treatment as in VC group for 7 days+0.1 mL 10% NS oil in corn oil for the next 7 days); (iii) BF2.5 and (iv) BF5 groups (2.5 and 5 mg/kg BF in 0.1 mL corn oil for 7 days, respectively, +0.1mL pure corn oil for the next 7 days); (v) BF2.5+NS and (vi) BF5+NS groups (2.5 and 5 mg/kg BF as in the respective BF groups and NS as in the NS group). The entire liver from each animal was recovered on the 15th day after cervical dislocation. The characteristic pathologies of the liver observed in the BF groups included damaged hepatic portal veins and profuse fibrosis of the peri-portal vein areas, shrinkage of the sinusoids, misalignment of the cords, especially at the margins, and necrosis of the hepatocytes. The marginal area of the lobules also showed infestation of macrophages followed by the migration of hepatoblasts from the marginal triads to the central lobular vein. The analysis of the data showed a significant decrease (p≤0.05) in the mean animal body and liver weights in the BF2.5 group (27.3±1.1 and 2.4±0.3, respectively) and in the BF5 group (27±1.3 and 1.62±0.13, respectively) compared to the VC group (33.7±1.1 and 2.42±0.25, respectively) and the NS group (31.4±1.09 and 2.48±0.14, respectively). A convincing recovery in the mean animal body and liver weights was present in the BF2.5+NS group (30±1.1, and 2.5±0.31, respectively) and the BF5+NS group (30.3±1.9 and 2.31±0.3, respectively). A similar pattern of significant (p≤0.05) alterations was present in the analyses of the micrometric data for the differential counts of the mono-nucleated and bi-nucleated hepatocytes per unit area of the hepatic lobules and in the percent of the hepatolobular areas occupied by the hepatocytes vs the sinusoidal+arterial+venous spaces and the cellular debris+fibrotic mass+non-parenchymal cells. These findings suggest that the sub-chronic exposure of BF may lead to various hepato-histopathologies and micrometric alterations in mice while the oil of NS seeds can convincingly enhance the pace of rehabilitation indicating its hepato-protective and regenerative potentials.