Marjoram Oil and Propolis Modulate Hepatic Injury Induced by Diclofenac Sodium in Albino Rats via Reducing Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and BAX Gene Expression

Diclofenac sodium (DS) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relief pain and inflammation, it ranks in the top reasons of drug-induced liver injury. This study investigated the modulatory effect of marjoram oil (MO) and propolis on DS induced liver injury in rats. Rats were administrated MO (0.5 mL/kg b.wt.) or propolis (600 mg/kg b.wt) orally for 12 days where I.p injection of Diclofenac sodium (50 mg/kg b.wt ) was started on 11th and 12th days of experiment. Administration of DS induced liver injury as manifested by abnormalities of hepatic profile (AST, ALT, total protein and albumin) together with increased level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver homogenate and serum level of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α). DS induced liver injury was confirmed by histological and immunohistochemical alterations, diminished reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) and up regulated BAX gene. Both MO and propolis improved liver injury, histological alterations, lipid peroxidation and enhanced antioxidant status in diclofenac-induced rats. In addition, MO and propolis reduced serum liver pro-inflammatory cytokines, and down regulated the expression of BAX gene. In conclusion, marjoram oil and propolis effectively improved the oxidative stress, reduced inflammation and damage induced by Diclofenac sodium in rats.