Diospyros lotus L. fruit extract protects G6PD-deficient erythrocytes from hemolytic injury in vitro and in vivo: prevention of favism disorder

M. Azadbakht, S.J. Hosseinimehr*, M. Shokrzadeh**, E. Habibi§,#, A. Ahmadi§

Department of Pharmacognosy, *Department of Medicinal Chemistry, **Department of Toxico-pharmacology and §Student Research Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari (Iran)
#Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran)

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• Pharmacology

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of Diospyros lotus L. fruit extract against the hemolytic damage induced by Vicia faba beans extract in both G6PD enzyme-deficient human and rat erythrocyte in vitro and in vivo.

Materials and Methods: In the former model, venous blood samples were obtained from five subjects with known G6PD deficiency and erythrocyte hemolysis induced by Vicia faba L. bean extract was asessed spectrophotometrically in the presence and absence of Diospyros lotus L. fruits extract. In the in vivo model, G6PD-deficient rats (induced by intraperitoneal injection of dehydroepiandrosterone for 35 days) pre-treated with different doses of Diospyros lotus L. (500, 750, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg, p.o for 7 days) were challanged with Vicia faba beans extract and the protective effect of the fruit extract against hemolysis was evaluated as above.

Results and Conclusions: The results have shown that Diospyros lotus L. fruits extract has antioxidant activity that may protect against hemolytic damage induced by Vicia faba bean extract in both G6PD-deficient human and rat erythrocytes. The study gives a scientific basis for the efficacy of the fruit extract as used in Iran. The fact that this was shown in human erythrocytes in vitro is significant and provides a rationale for further testing in vivo in G6PD-deficient human populations.

Corresponding Author: Emran Habibi, Ph.D.; e-mail: Emrapharm@yahoo.com

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