Gastroprotective activity of yogurt fortified with purple roselle extract in rats exposed with 2,3,7,8-TCDD

Persistent organic pollutant 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodiobenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), known as harmful congeners of dioxin, has many adverse effects on human or animal health. This TCDD enters the body through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. Purple Roselle is a well-known herb-medicinal plant having antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of purple roselle water extract along yogurt against dioxin exposure. The antioxidant properties of the extract were measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and gastrointestinal histology. For this, 25 white male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were used, and these rats were divided into five groups negative control, positive control (TCDD 200 ng/kg BW), and three treatment groups (TCDD 200 ng/kg BW + yogurt fortified with purple roselle water extract concentrations 0.5, 1, and 1.5 percent), all the treatments were given orally. Gastric MDA was determined quantitatively using the Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) method and the one-way ANOVA test, continued by a Tukey post hoc test with a confidence level of 95% while the gastric histology was observed descriptively. Results of the study revealed that supplementation of fortified yogurt with 1% purple roselle extract could dramatically reduce MDA levels (p<0,05) and heal histological damage in the lamina propria mucosa of stomach rats subjected to TCDD. Results of the study can be concluded that consuming yogurt with purple roselle extract can reduce MDA levels and repair histological damage to the gastric mucosa caused by dioxin exposure.