The hepatoprotective potential of nigella sativa oil against cypermethrin-induced hepatotoxicity in rats: A histomorphological investigation.

Objective: To determine the hepatotoxic effects induced by cypermethrin. The study also attempts to evaluate the hepatoprotective efficacy of Nigella sativa oil against hepatotoxicity produced by cypermethrin. Study Design: Experimental study. Setting: Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Pathology of Peshawar Medical College and Animal house of PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Peshawar. Period: May 2023 to Dec 2023. Methods: Animals were divided into two groups: Control (Group A) and Experimental (Group B). The Experimental group (Group B) is divided into two subgroups Group B-I and Group B-II. Forty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups of fourteen rats each in order to conduct an experimental investigation. Group A served as a control group. Cypermethrin (5.5mg/kg‾¹ body weight) per day dissolved in corn oil was administered orally to Group B-I. Cypermethrin (5.5 mg/kg‾¹ body weight) per day orally and (1ml/kg‾¹ body weight) per day of Nigella sativa oil were given to group B-II. Liver obtained from these groups were fixed for histological studies under light microscopy. Liver tissues of the cypermethrin-treated animals showed leucocytic infiltration, hydropic alterations such as ballooning degeneration and focal lytic (spotty) liver necrosis. Results: After four weeks of treatment with cypermethrin demonstrated significant liver damage in group B-I animals. In group B-II Nigella sativa oil significantly reduced hepatotoxicity and induced regenerative changes. Nigella sativa oil demonstrated protection against the cypermethrin and preserved the normal histological architecture of the liver. Conclusion: Cypermethrin had a hepatotoxic potential and caused hepatotoxicity in liver, as evidenced by the histological changes in the liver tissue. However, the study also found that Nigella sativa oil showed a better hepatoprotective effect, as it was able to effectively reverse the liver damage caused by both cypermethrin.