Abuelgassim Abuelgassim - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Abuelgassim Abuelgassim

CURRENT TOPICS IN NUTRACEUTICAL RESEARCH

In the current study, we have evaluated the effect of gum Arabic on cholesterol homeostasis in at... more In the current study, we have evaluated the effect of gum Arabic on cholesterol homeostasis in atherogenic rats. To this end, adult male Wistar rats were treated orally with increasing concentrations of gum Arabic for 6 consecutive weeks, and serum concentrations of markers of cholesterol homeostasis (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity) were evaluated. Treatment of atherogenic rats with gum Arabic improved serum levels of markers of cholesterol homeostasis. Also, gum Arabic did not reveal any harmful effect on the liver tissue of normal control rats, whereas the liver tissue of atherogenic-treated rats showed improvements in healing, inflammation, and necrosis. In conclusion, gum Arabic may serve to improve cholesterol homeostasis in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Acta Scientifci Nutritional Health

The present study was conducted to investigate the total phenolics, total flavonoid, and Trolox e... more The present study was conducted to investigate the total phenolics, total flavonoid, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of 9 commonly used medicinal plants and herbs among Arabs nation namely, Trachyspermum ammi (Apiaceae) seeds, Ferula assa-foetida (Apiaceae) dried latex, Elettaria cardamomum (Zingiberaceae) fruit 1, Senna alexandrina (Caesalpinioideae) Leguminosae leaves, Adenium obesum (Apocynaceae) leaves, Elettaria cardamomum (Zingiberaceae) fruit 2, Trigonella foenum-graecum (Leguminosae) seeds, Lepidium sativum (Brassicaceae) seeds, Ziziphus spina-christi (Rhamnaceae) fruit, and Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae) seeds. The methanol extract of each plant was obtained by dissolving 2g of plant powder in 20 ml methanol-water (4:1v/v) to overnight at room temperature. The supernatants were concentrated by using a rotary evaporator. Residues of each extract were dissolved in distilled water and the final volume was recorded. A serial dilution of 10, 100, 1000, and 5000 were made.

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 2020

Three varieties of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaves (DPL) namely: Sagaie, Khalas, and Nabta... more Three varieties of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaves (DPL) namely: Sagaie, Khalas, and Nabtat Alsaif were examined for their antioxidant activities. DPL extracts showed a total phenolic content ranged between 1498.14 ± 100.52-4374.76 ± 657.64 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100g dry weight (DW) and a total flavonoid ranged between 134.70 ± 16.24-224.62 ± 22.35 mg quercetin (QE)/100g (DW). The IC 50s for scavenging ABTS radical were ranged between 71.87 ± 14.37-217.87 ± 27.40µg Trolox equivalent, whereas that required for scavenging DPPH were ranged between 197.86 ± 17.60-693.32 ± 25.44 µg ascorbic acid equivalent. DPL extracts potentially scavenged hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals, IC 50s values were ranged between 208.04 ± 12.76-719.63 ± 24.38 and 825.92 ± 19.40-1193.20 ± 28.74µg GAE respectively. DPL extracts showed a good activity against ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) ranged between 7.69 ± 0.47-22.13 ± 1.36 mmol ascorbic acid equivalent/100g. DPL extracts showed a considerable antioxidant activity, therefore, DPL could be effectively used as natural source of antioxidant in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Biomedical Research, 2018

Background: Herbal medicine has been widely used in controlling diabetes and obesity for avoiding... more Background: Herbal medicine has been widely used in controlling diabetes and obesity for avoiding their complications. Objectives: The anti-diabetic, antioxidant and anti-lipidemic activity of Salvadora persica leaf aqueous extract was tested in alloxan induced diabetic male rats. Methods: 24 male rats were divided into 4 groups; negative control (G1), diabetic positive control (G2) and two diabetic groups (G3 and G4) supplemented with aqueous extract of S. persica at a dose of 100 and 200 mg/0.5 ml water/100 g body weight, respectively for 28 d. Results: The positive control diabetic group showed increase in blood sugar, liver enzyme activity, kidney parameters, lipid peroxidation, immunoglobulines, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoproteins and decrease in alpha amylase, antioxidants and high density lipoproteins. Treating the diabetic rats in G3 and G4 with S. persica leaf aqueous extract nearly restored all biochemical and histological changes nearly to the normal as in the control negative. Conclusion: S. persica leaf aqueous extract has hypoglycaemic, antioxidant and hypolipidemic activity in alloxan induced diabetic male rats. It restored all biochemical parameters and the injured kidney, liver and pancreas tissues nearly to the normal as in the negative control group. The high dose of S. persica leaf aqueous extract was more effective than the low dose.

This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant activities of date palm (Phoenix dactylif... more This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant activities of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaves (DPL) and Acacia nilotica Delile (Fabaceae) fruit (AN) and to compare their antioxidant potential with other four common Arabian medicinal plants namely, pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds (PS), flax (Linum usitatissimum) seeds (FS), cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia (Lauraceae) bark (CIN), and ginger (Zingiber officinale) Roscoe (GNR). The mean values of the total phenol concentrations of investigated plants were 299, 34.63, 2.52, 6.51,2.21,and 2.4 (mg GAE/g) in AN, DPL, GNR, CIN, PS, and FS respectively, while the mean values of the total flavonoid concentrations were 2.88,11.55,1.55, 2.08, 0.3, and 1.98 (mgQAE /g) in AN, DPL, GNR, CIN, PS, and FS respectively. The mean values of Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC, µmol Trolox equivalents per g sample) were 113.31, 147.27, 8.33, 23.75, 6.17, and 21.49 in AN, DPL, GNR, CIN, PS, and FS respectively. These results showed th...

F S Ataya, D Fouad*, H Huntoul, S Alqarni, A O. Abuelgassim and H El Enshasy Department of Bioche... more F S Ataya, D Fouad*, H Huntoul, S Alqarni, A O. Abuelgassim and H El Enshasy Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 22452, Riyadh 11459, Saudi Arabia Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ein-Helwan, Cairo, Egypt 4 Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81130 UTM, Skudai, Malaysia City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications, New Burg Al Arab, Alexandria, Egypt

Medical Science Research, 1999

Rats which received fenfluramine (an obesity drug) through their drinking water (0.1 or 0.2 mg/ml... more Rats which received fenfluramine (an obesity drug) through their drinking water (0.1 or 0.2 mg/ml) had significantly lower (P < 0.001) body weight and food consumption than control animals. Concentrations of plasma glucose and total cholesterol did not change significantly in the rats receiving fenfluramine whereas the level of triglycerides was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than in controls. The activity of hexokinase (HK) in the liver of rats treated with fenfluramine was significantly reduced following oral administration of fenfluramine (0.1 mg/ml, P < 0.05; 0.2 mg/ml, P < 0.002), whereas activity in the intestinal mucosa and adipose tissue did not change significantly. The activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) from intestinal mucosa and adipose tissue was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in fenfluramine-treated rats than in controls, but the liver enzyme did not change significantly. Activity of pyruvate kinase (PK) of fenfluramine-treated rats was not signif...

Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 2020

Two varieties of palm date seeds (PDS), Sukkari and Khalas, were examined for their antioxidant a... more Two varieties of palm date seeds (PDS), Sukkari and Khalas, were examined for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Total phenol content was 2 014.37 ± 212.05 and 2 060.40 ± 176.0 mg GAE 100 g–1 dry weight (DW); and total flavonoid content was 83.98 ± 1.10 and 94.97 ± 1.36 mg QE 100 g–1 DW for Sukkari and Khalas, respectively. PDS extracts showed potential scavenging activity against ABTS, DDPH, and hydroxyl radical; the calculated IC50s were 431.17 ± 12.45, 400 ± 10.87 and 680 ± 18.12 µg for Sukkari, and 476 ± 20.25, 302.24 ± 14.08 and 284.18 ± 11.62 µg for Khalas, respectively. PDS extracts did not show potential activity against superoxide anion. Both extracts showed a high percentage of reducing power as the calculated FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) concentrations were 12.66 ± 1.08 and 16.14 ± 1.94 mmol ascorbic acid equivalent 100 g–1 for Sukkari and Khalas, respectively. Bacillus subtilis showed a remarkable sensitivity to PDS extracts; the inhibition zones...

Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2013

Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2010

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry, 1989

Phosphofructo-l-kinase (PFK) isoenzymes were studied in the jejunal mucosa of rabbit, rat and mou... more Phosphofructo-l-kinase (PFK) isoenzymes were studied in the jejunal mucosa of rabbit, rat and mouse. 2. The rat mucosal enzyme was found to be very similar to, although not identical with, the mouse mucosal enzyme, as the physical and regulatory properties of these two enzymes were nearly similar except that the immunological studies were dissimilar. 3. PFK prepared from rabbit mucosa showed different and distinct properties from the rat and mouse mucosal PFK when studied by (NH4)2SO4-precipitation, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunological cross-reactivity and regulatory properties. 4. The difference between the rabbit enzyme and the rat or mouse enzymes is suggested to be due to the lower rate of glycolysis observed in the rabbit jejunal mucosa as the total enzyme activities of the rabbit were found to be less than half of those activities of the rat and mouse mucosa. 5. The dissimilarities among the species in mucosal isoenzymes obtained in the present study are rather expected since the term isoenyzme is now properly reserved for forms that have been shown to be genetically distinct as shown for different tissues in the same species. Such multigenic control does not appear to have been established for the same tissue in different species.

Saudi Medical Journal, Feb 1, 2004

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Endocrinology, 1996

The effect of sodium orthovanadate on the activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) in the epith... more The effect of sodium orthovanadate on the activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) in the epithelial cells of rat small intestine was investigated. Injection of vanadate (2.5 mg/rat) into rats at 2-day intervals per week for two consecutive weeks resulted in a significant decrease in the maximal activities and activity ratios (activity at 0.5 mM fructose-6-phosphate at pH 7.0/activity at pH 8.0 [v0.5/V]) of the partially purified PFK in rat jejunum. Also, the sensitivity of jejunal PFK to inhibition by ATP increased in rats treated with vanadate. The addition of 1 microM fructose-2,6-biphosphate and 50 microM AMP in the assays released the enzyme inhibition by ATP, and no significant difference was seen between vanadate-injected and control rats. Moreover, the extent of activation with 1 microM fructose-2,6-bisphosphate was significantly higher (79%) in vanadate-injected rats than in control rats (26%). The present results indicate that rat jejunal PFK is highly inhibited with vanadate in vivo. Therefore, although vanadate has been considered to be an insulin-like agent, because of its insulin-like effects on adipocytes and skeletal muscle, the present results may indicate that this behavior could not be applicable to normal rat tissues, because the effect of vanadate on jejunal PFK is clearly opposite that of insulin.

Life Science Journal

Christ’s thorn (Ziziphus spina- Christi) leaves powder was orally administered in the diet (500 m... more Christ’s thorn (Ziziphus spina- Christi) leaves powder was orally administered in the diet (500 mg/kg body weight) to hypercholesterolemic male rats (fed 2% cholesterol) for 8 weeks to test their effect on lipid profile, antioxidants enzymes and lipid peroxide. Eighteen male rats weighing 155-170 gm were divided into three groups. The first group is untreated control group fed basal diet, the second group was fed 2% cholesterol in diet to induce hypercholesterolemia (positive control group), the third group was fed 2% cholesterol and co-supplemented with 500 mg/kg body weight Christ’s thorn leaves for 8 weeks. The positive control group showed a significant increase in lipid profile, liver enzyme, lipid peroxide and kidney function parameters, and decrease in antioxidant enzymes activity. In addition, heart, liver, kidney and testes showed pathological changes compared with the negative control. Treating the hypercholesterolemic rats with Christ’s thorn leaves improved the biochemic...

Saudi medical journal, 2008

To examine whether the vaccination with low density lipoprotein (LDL) antibodies could have a pro... more To examine whether the vaccination with low density lipoprotein (LDL) antibodies could have a protective effect on rats developed atherosclerosis through the action of atherogenic diet. Four groups of rats (ranged 8 and 14) were treated for 8 weeks (13 January 2007 to 9 March 2007) at the animal house, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with normal control diet (NC), normal control diet+LDL-Ab (NC +I), atherogenic diet (AT), and atherogenic diet + LDL-Ab (AT+I). Lipid concentrations and other different parameters were measured in serum. The concentrations of total cholesterol in atherogenic rats treated with LDL-Ab (AT+I) (n=9) were significantly decreased from 5.72 +/- 0.21 mmol/l to 1.81 +/- 0.08 mmol/l (p<0.001). Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations were also significantly decreased in AT+I group (p<0.001), as it dropped by 73% from 3.06 +/- 0.09 mmol/l to 0.84 +/- 0.04 mmol/l. Phospholipids concentrations were also decreased in A...

... UK PubMed Central is a service of the UKPMC Funders Group working in partnership with the Eur... more ... UK PubMed Central is a service of the UKPMC Funders Group working in partnership with the European Bioinformatics Institute, University of Manchester and the British Library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the US National Library of ...

International Journal of Biochemistry, 1988

The fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2.6-P:) content of mesenteric lymph nodes was measured in rats... more The fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2.6-P:) content of mesenteric lymph nodes was measured in rats. 2. The effects of Fru-2.6-P, on the activity of 6-phosphofructo-I-kinase (PFK-I) from rat mesenteric lymph nodes were also studied.. 3. The affinity of the enzyme for fructose-6-phosphate was increased by Fru-2,6-Pz whereas the inhibition of the enzyme with hieh concentrations of ATP was released bv Fru-2,6-P,. 4. The activity of lymphocyte PFK-I was highly stimulated in a simultaneous'presence of low concentrations of AMP and Fru-2,6-P,. 5. These results show that rat lymphocyte PFK-I is highly regulated with Fru-2,6-Pz which means that glycolysis in rat lymphocytes is controlled by Fru-2,6-P,.

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Protein Structure and Molecular Enzymology, 1991

6-Phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) of rat placenta was purified to homogeneity with a recovery of 56%... more 6-Phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) of rat placenta was purified to homogeneity with a recovery of 56% of the enzyme activity in the original extract. The purified enzyme is a tetramer and the Mr value of the subunit is 85,000 +/- 1500 as shown by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Considering the properties of the native rat placental PFK isoenzyme, it is clear that this tissue is a complex mixture of homotetramer and heterotetramer. Purified placenta PFK displayed little cooperativity at pH 7.0 with respect to fructose 6-phosphate and was markedly inhibited with high concentrations of ATP. The affinity of the enzyme for fructose 6-phosphate was increased by fructose 2,6-biphosphate. The purified enzyme was highly inhibited by citrate, whereas it was only slightly inhibited by phosphoenol pyruvate. ADP, AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate showed little stimulation towards placental PFK. The present study suggests that the placental PFK is a relatively active enzymic form and it is also probably characterized with a high rate of glycolysis possibly because this tissue requires a high energy production for the development and maintenance of the fetus as the placenta tends to be a semipermeable membrane through which substances are exchanged between mother and fetus.

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1991

The regulation of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) in the epithelial cells of rat small intestine w... more The regulation of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) in the epithelial cells of rat small intestine was studied during pregnancy and lactation. The total activities and activity ratios (activity at 0.5 mM fructose 6-phosphate at pH 7.0/activity at pH 8.0 (nu 0.5/V] of the partially purified mucosal PFK were found to increase initially in early pregnant rats (11-12 days of gestation) and to fall back to normal in late pregnant rats (19-20 days of gestation). These changes in enzyme activity during pregnancy were associated with similar changes in the circulating levels of progesterone. The maximal activity and activity ratio (nu 0.5/V) were increased in male and female rats injected with progesterone. An increase in the total activity and activity ratio of mucosal PFK was also obtained in lactating rats. However, the enzyme was not strongly activated by inorganic phosphate, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or glucose 1,6-bisphosphate either in early pregnant or lactating rats. These results indicate that mucosal PFK is already present as an active form during early pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, it is suggested that female sex hormones increase the circulating levels of insulin during early pregnancy which, in turn, positively affect the activity of mucosal PFK which could be also stimulated by the increased levels of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The increased activity of PFK in the peak lactating rats could be possible because of an increased demand for lactate production from glucose together with the stimulation of PFK by the increased concentrations of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate which therefore increases the rate of glycolysis.

African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 2011

The present study aimed to examine the effect of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds supplementatio... more The present study aimed to examine the effect of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds supplementation on atherogenic diet-induced atherosclerosis. Rat were divided into two main groups , normal control and atherogenic control rats , each group composed of three subgroups one of them supplemented with 2% arginine in drinking water and the other supplemented with pumpkin seeds in diet at a concentration equivalent to 2% arginine. Supplementation continued for 37 days. Atherogenic rats supplemented with pumpkin seeds showed a significant decrease (p<0.001) in their serum concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL-C as they dropped from 4.89 mmol / L to 2.55 mmol /L and from 3.33 mmol / L to 0.70 mmol / L respectively. Serum concentrations of HDL-C were also significantly elevated in the same group. Although, atherogenic rats supplemented with 2% arginine showed significant increase in serum concentration of HDL-C, no significant changes were observed in their serum concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL-C. Our results showed that treatment of atherogenic rats with pumpkin seeds significantly decreased serum concentrations of TC and LDL-C. Our findings suggest that pumpkin seeds supplementation has a protective effect against atherogenic rats and this protective effect was not attributed to the high arginine concentrations in pumpkin seeds.