The Effects on Pomegranate Seed Oil in Lipopolysaccharide - Induced Uveitis in Rats

Purpose: Pomegranate seed oil (PSO) contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds such as punicalagin. We aimed to determine the protective effects of PSO on lipopolysaccharide-induced uveitis in rats.

Method: 50 Wistar Albino rats were randomly divided into five groups. Each group had two subgroups: the 3rd and 24th hour (n=5). Group healthy received intraperitoneal normal saline, group uveitis received subcutaneous 200 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS), group dexamethasone received 200μg/kg LPS plus 1mg/kg dexamethasone intraperitoneal, group PSO 0.5 received 200μg/kg LPS plus 0.5 mg/kg PSO, and Group PSO 1 received 200μg/kg LPS plus 1 mg/kg PSO. Each group had two subgroups: the 3rd and 24th hour. At the end of the experiment, eye tissues were removed for biochemically (Glutathione, Superoxide dismutase and Malondialdehyde levels) and histopathologically (staining with Harris Hematoxylin and Eosin Y) investigation.

Results: PSO administration significantly ameliorated modifications in uveitis-induced oxidative stress factors. PSO administration eliminated histopathological changes in the eye tissues, including inflammatory findings, in comparison to the uveitis group. However, all these results were not as strong as those of the healthy group.

Conclusion: Future studies may be conducted with different doses of pomegranate seed oil to determine its protective effects against uveitis. Perhaps, PSO, with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, in addition to its natural content, may play an important role in the production of natural preventive drugs for uveitis.