Jujube fruit extracts significantly alleviate oxidative stress in rodent models, potentially offering a valuable dietary supplement against diseases linked to oxidative stress.
In this study, relevant animal studies were sourced from various data platforms including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and VIP Periodical Service Platform. Risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Systematic Review Center for Laboratory Animal Experimentation risk-of-bias tool. Conducting a meta-analysis followed the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions guidelines and utilized Stata 17.0 software. Nineteen studies were ultimately incorporated into the meta-analysis.
The meta-analysis indicated that jujube fruit extracts notably reduced the level of malonaldehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, and raised the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, both of which are antioxidant enzymes. However, the levels of another antioxidant enzyme, catalase, didn't exhibit significant improvement. The meta-analysis results uncovered considerable heterogeneity. Subsequent subgroup analysis suggested that the source of the target parameters, animal models used, and types of extract could be contributing to the observed heterogeneity. Despite questionable overall methodological quality in the included studies, the study underscores the potential of jujube fruit extracts as effective antioxidant dietary supplements, particularly useful in conditions where oxidative stress is a key pathogenic factor.
