Mechanistic study of regulation of iron homeostasis by N. sativa seeds and P. ovata husks on high fat/high sucrose diet induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: In recent years, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions. Characteristic findings in NAFLD patients are elevated iron stores, as iron plays an important role in the pathophysiology of chronic liver disease. The current study was aimed at investigating the possible protective effects of N. sativa seeds and P. ovata husks on the regulation of iron homeostasis in NAFLD. Methods: Two age groups of Wistar rats (four weeks and twelve weeks old), further subdivided into four groups were fed on high fat/high sucrose (HF/SF) diet for sixteen weeks to induce NAFLD and randomized into three groups (HF/SF diet control (Group I), HF/SF diet with N. sativa seeds (Group II) and HF/SF diet with P. ovata husks (Group III) and normal diet, serving as negative control (Group 0). At the end of the experiment, histochemical analysis of hepatic sections, biochemical evaluates of the blood, and gene expression analysis were conducted. Results: The results revealed that both N. sativa seeds and P. ovata husks possess the capacity to maintain iron homeostasis by regulating the level of blood hemoglobin, serum iron contents, expression of key genes involved in iron metabolism, and iron deposition in hepatic sections. While N. sativa seeds proved more effective. Conclusions: N. sativa seeds are a more potent iron regulator compared to P. ovata husks at reducing the iron overburden associated with NAFLD.