Investigation of the effects of herbal safflower oil on oxidative stress and longevity

Although for a long time there was fear of a fatty diet, this is just a misunderstanding. What matters is which source of fat we consume. The positive effects of unsaturated fatty acids on our health have been proven, so vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids have an important place in our diet. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is one of the oldest cultivated plants. It is a valuable oil and energy plant. Safflower oil, which is separated from the seed by different methods, has superior properties compared to many vegetable oils. It contains 90-93% unsaturated fatty acids. In this study, it was aimed to determine the toxic, antitoxic or antioxidant effects of safflower oil. For this purpose, 72±4 hour larvae of the Oregon R wild strain of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), which is frequently used in nutrition and toxicity studies, were used. With the preliminary studies, the application doses were 0.3125%; 0.625%; It was determined as 1.25% and 2.5%. In addition, distilled water, ascorbic acid and H2O2 control groups were formed and the toxic or antitoxic effects of using them separately or together on the larvae were investigated. In addition, the lifespan of individuals that matured from larvae were studied and antioxidant (TAS/TOS/OSI) parameters were examined in male individuals fed at the doses with the best results. All experimental sets were repeated three times. As a result, it has been determined that Safflower oil does not cause any toxic effect on the larvae at the concentrations used, on the contrary, when used with H2O2, it has a reducing effect on the toxic effect. As a result of the longevity studies of safflower oil, it was observed that the longest average life was in the %1,25 Safflower Oil +H2O2 application group with 65±1,09 days. It was determined from the data obtained from antioxidant studies that the antioxidant capacity of safflower oil was high, but this result was not statistically significant compared to the control group Ascorbic acid (p>0.05). From all these data, it was concluded that vegetable safflower oil should be included in our diets as an alternative to other oils.