Liver Function Assessment after Chronic Consumption of Oxidised Palm Oil Diets in Male Wistar Rats

This study investigated the impact of photo-oxidized palm oil (PPO) and thermo-oxidized palm oil (TPO) diets on the liver of male wistar rats. The experimental animals were randomly divided into four (4) groups of five (5) animals each. Group 1 served as the control group and were fed with normal rat chow and water ad libitum, group 2, 3 and 4 were fed with 15% fresh palm oil (FPO) diet, 15% PPO diet and 15% TPO diet respectively. The experiment lasted for 90 days. After the period of experiment, the animals were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia and blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical analyses while the livers were harvested for histological analysis. The results of the study showed that there was significant increase (p<0.05) in Aspartate transaminase or Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in TPO and PPO-diets fed groups when compared with the control and FPO diet fed group. Histopathological studies revealed the presence of mild and moderate cytoplasmic destruction in PPO and TPO-diet fed groups respectively. In conclusion, the findings of this study showed that chronic consumption of PPO and TPO is toxic to the liver.