Coccinia grandis alleviates flavor‐enhancing high‐lipid diet induced hepatocellular inflammation and apoptosis

In the present socioeconomic era, people are consuming ready-made fast-food regularly with minimal physical exercise. Food processors use monosodium glutamate, saturated fatty acids, and hydrogenated fats to prepare flavor-enhancing high-lipid diet (FHD), which cause oxidative damage to different experimental animals and humans through the generation of reactive oxygen species. This study aimed to assess the protective effects of Coccinia grandis against hepatocellular damage caused by FHD. Rats were fed with FHD (prepared with monosodium glutamate in combination with HLD) with or without ethanol extract of Coccinia grandis leaves (EECGL) for 28 days to measure hematological, biochemical, inflammatory, apoptotic biomarkers, cytomorphological changes, and apoptosis of liver, if any. The results indicate that FHD causes hepatic damage by modifying hematological and biochemical parameters, followed by the activation of NF-kB and caspase pathways. Moreover, FHD altered the Bcl2/Bax ratio, nuclear condensation, shrinkage, and fragmentation of hepatocytes, leading to inflammation and apoptosis. On the other hand, EECGL appears to play a significant role in preventing FHD-induced hepatocellular damage via regulating inflammatory and apoptotic factors. In this regard, EECGL might be a useful dietary supplement to reduce the negative impact of a frequent consumption of FHD as part of fast-food. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Fast food is believed to be a flavor-enhanced high-lipid diet, since its delectable taste stimulates the hunger. Eventually, such a diet functions as a silent assassin for many body systems. The current study primarily focused on the negative health effects of commonly used flavoring agents in high-lipid diets, which presents a warning against the choice of meals, particularly food additive mixed diets, and issues an alarming signal to society concerning the use of such combinations in regular diets. Furthermore, this study recommends using Coccinia grandis, which has a variety of bioactive phytoconstituents, as a dietary supplement to counteract the flavor-enhancing high-lipid diet-induced anomalous condition.