Effects of Consumption of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis)‎ and a Rooibos-Derived Commercial Supplement on Hepatic Tissue Injury by tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide in Wistar Rats

Abstract EN

This study investigated the antioxidative effect of rooibos herbal tea and a rooibos-derived commercial supplement on tert-butyl hydroperoxide- (t-BHP-) induced oxidative stress in the liver.

Forty male Wistar rats consumed fermented rooibos, unfermented rooibos, a rooibos-derived commercial supplement, or water for 10 weeks, while oxidative stress was induced during the last 2 weeks via intraperitoneal injection of 30 µmole of t-BHP per 100 g body weight.

None of the beverages impaired the body weight gain of the respective animals.

Rats consuming the rooibos-derived commercial supplement had the highest ( P < 0.05 ) daily total polyphenol intake (169 mg/day) followed by rats consuming the unfermented rooibos (93.4 mg/day) and fermented rooibos (73.1 mg/day).

Intake of both the derived supplement and unfermented rooibos restored the t-BHP-induced reduction and increased ( P < 0.05 ) the antioxidant capacity status of the liver, while not impacting on lipid peroxidation.

The rooibos herbal tea did not affect the hepatic antioxidant enzymes, except fermented rooibos that caused a decrease ( P < 0.05 ) in superoxide dismutase activity.

This study confirms rooibos herbal tea as good dietary antioxidant sources and, in conjunction with its many other components, offers a significantly enhanced antioxidant status of the liver in an induced oxidative stress situation.