Dietary supplementation of Phoenix dactylifera L. seeds decreases pro-inflammatory mediators in CCl4-induced rats

Low immunity causes the body to become more easily infected, resulting in inflammation. If the immune system is functioning properly, this inflammation will end in healing. The immune system has a protective role in the body, and its anti-inflammatory role is vital. During trauma, the initial immune response is marked by inflammation. The use of date-seed extract, although not steeped date seeds, has been studied as an anti-inflammatory agent. This study is aimed at demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of steeped date seeds (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in rats with CCl4-induced inflammation. This experiment included a pre- and post-test with control group design. Male Wistar rats (approximately 2–3 months of age, ranging in weight from 150 to 200 g) were assigned to the following groups: negative control (NC), positive control (PC), T1 treatment dose 1 g/kg, T3 treatment dose 3 g/kg, T5 treatment dose 5 g/kg, and healthy control (HC). Groups 1–5 were subjected to CCl4 induction at a single dose of 2 mL/kg before treatment. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), glutathione (GSH), and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) were compared in groups using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test for comparisons between means. Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), GSH, and IFN-γ were significantly different among the HC and treatment groups after CCl4 induction. After 14 days of steeped date-seed treatment, TNF-α decreased, but GSH and IFN-γ levels increased significantly (P = 0.001). Administration of steeped date seeds at a dose of 5 g/kg can increase GSH and IFN-γ, and decrease TNF-α, the strongest inflammatory marker in CCl4-induced rats. The findings of this study indicate that date-seed supplementation can support body immunity by regulating pro-inflammatory mediators.