Indian Journal of Animal Research
SCOPUSWeb of Science
  • Year: 2026
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 4

Piperine Prevents Oxidative Insults, Inflammation, Apoptosis and Histological Alterations Following Aflatoxin B1-induced Hepatotoxicity

  • Author:
  • Xiuwen Li1, Shadi Tamur2, Naif Alsiwiehri3, Ashraf Albrakati4, Ibrahim K.M. Alabbadi5, Ebtihaj Alnasri6, Abdulaziz Mohammed Alghamdi3, Tamer Ali Sweellum7, Mohamed A. Elhefny8, Jing Zhao9*, Mahmoud H. Khedr710
  • Total Page Count: 10
  • Page Number: 625 to 634

1Laboratory Medicine Department, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

2Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, Taif University, P.O. Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

3Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia.

4Department of Human Anatomy, College of Medicine, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif21944, Saudi Arabia.

5Medical Administration Specialist, Medical Services Administration, Taif University, P.O. Box 888, Taif, 21974, Saudi Arabia.

6Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

7Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.

8Department of Cancer and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

9Department of Gastroenterology, Xi’an Qinhuang Hospital, Xi’an, 710699, China.

10Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.

*Corresponding Author: Jing Zhao, Department of Gastroenterology, Xi’an Qinhuang Hospital, Xi’an, 710699, China. Email: azwjw19852006@sina.com

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a hepatotoxic mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus species, poses significant health risks through food contamination. Piperine, the bioactive alkaloid from black pepper, exhibits diverse pharmacological properties including hepatoprotection.

Forty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 10): control (saline), AFB1 (100 μg/kg/day), piperine (1.12 mg/kg/day) and a combination group receiving piperine (1.12 mg/kg/day) one hour before AFB1 (100 μg/kg/day) for 28 days. Treatments were administered intraperitoneally for 28 days. Liver function tests, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, apoptotic proteins and histopathological changes were evaluated.

AFB1 exposure significantly elevated liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], alkaline phosphatase [ALP]) and decreased albumin levels. Oxidative stress was evident through increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels with concurrent depletion of antioxidants (reduced glutathione [GSH], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione reductase [GR], superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT]) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) downregulation. Inflammatory responses were marked by elevated interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). AFB1 triggered apoptosis via increased caspase-3 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) with decreased B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression. Histopathology revealed severe hepatocellular damage including necrosis, vacuolar degeneration and megalocyte formation. Piperine co-treatment significantly attenuated these alterations, restoring liver function parameters, enhancing antioxidant defenses, suppressing inflammatory mediators and normalizing apoptotic markers while preserving hepatic architecture.

Keywords

Aflatoxin B1, Apoptosis, Hepatotoxicity, Inflammation, Oxidative stress, Piperine