Nutr Res Pract.  2010 Oct;4(5):369-374.

Effect of dietary supplementation of grape skin and seeds on liver fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine in rats

• Shin MO
• Moon JO

Abstract

Grape is one of the most popular and widely cultivated fruits in the world. Although grape skin and seeds are waste product of the winery and grape juice industry, these wastes contain large amounts of phytochemicals such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and anthocyanidins, which play an important role as chemopreventive and anticancer agents. We evaluated efficacies of grape skin and seeds on hepatic injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats. Treatment with DMN significantly increased levels of serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin. Diet supplementation with grape skin or seeds (10% daily for 4 weeks) prevented these elevations. The grape skin and seeds also restored serum albumin and total protein levels, and reduced the hepatic level of hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde. Furthermore, grape skin and seeds reduced DMN-induced collagen accumulation, as estimated by histological analysis of liver tissue stained with Sirius red. Grape skin and seeds also reduced hepatic stellate cell activation, as assessed by alpha-smooth muscle actin staining. In conclusion, grape skin and seeds exhibited in vivo hepatoprotective and antifibrogenic effects against DMN-induced liver injury, suggesting that grape skin and seeds may be useful in preventing the development of hepatic fibrosis.

Keyword

Grape skin and seeds; hepatoprotective effect; antifibrogenic effect; liver fibrosis; hepatic stellate cell

MeSH Terms

Actins
Alanine Transaminase
Alkaline Phosphatase
Animals
Anthocyanins
Antineoplastic Agents
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bilirubin
Collagen
Diet
Dietary Supplements
Dimethylnitrosamine
Fibrosis
Flavonoids
Fruit
Hepatic Stellate Cells
Hydroxyproline
Liver
Liver Cirrhosis
Malondialdehyde
Muscles
Phenol
Rats
Seeds
Serum Albumin
Skin
Vitis
Waste Products
Actins
Alanine Transaminase
Alkaline Phosphatase
Anthocyanins
Antineoplastic Agents
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bilirubin
Collagen
Dimethylnitrosamine
Flavonoids
Hydroxyproline
Malondialdehyde
Phenol
Serum Albumin
Waste Products

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Histological analysis of liver sections. (A) Normal. (B) DMN (10 mg/kg per day for 3 consecutive days per week for 4 weeks) alone. (C) DMN with 10% grape skins. (D) DMN with 10% grape seeds. The sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and with Sirius red (SR). Activated HSCs were detected by immunohistochemistry with α-SMA antibody (α-SMA).

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