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

Introduction: Acrylamide (AA) is a chemical compound that poses 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. Materials & Methods: Thirty male albino rats weighing ۱۵۰–۲۰۰ g were equally and randomly divided into some groups: Control group received normal saline vehicle daily via oral gavage for ۳۰ days, AA group received ۱۵ mg/kg body weight of AA dissolved in ۰.۲ mL saline solution daily via oral gavage for ۳۰ days. NS group received ۱۵ mg/kg body weight (bw) of AA combined with ۱ mL/kg bw of NS oil daily via oral gavage for ۳۰ days. At the end of the experiment, 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-۱ (HO-۱) expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: 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. These changes were statistically significant with increased iNOS immunoexpression and HO-۱ gene expression (P<۰.۰۰۰۱). Administration of NS alleviated the toxic effect, downregulating both iNOS and HO-۱ gene expression. The study revealed a significant cytotoxic effect of AA on SMGs of albino rats (P<۰.۰۵), presumably by the generation of oxidative stresses and mitochondrial dysfunction.Conclusion: NS effectively mitigated these toxic effects, suggesting its potential as a natural antioxidant.

کلیدواژه ها:

salivary glands ، Acrylamide ، Nigella sativa ، oxidative stress