Gold of Pleasure Boosts Liver Detoxification Enzymes

The crushed seeds left after oil extraction from an oilseed crop used in jet fuel have been shown to give liver detoxification enzymes a significant boost.  Elizabeth Jeffery, a professor of nutritional toxicology at the University of Illinois, and colleagues extracted 4 bioactive compounds (3 glucosinolates and the flavonoid quercetin) from the defatted seed meal of Camelina sativa seed, which is also known as Gold of Pleasure. The components were then tested on mouse liver cells both individually and together. Results showed that all 4 compounds induced the detoxifying liver enzyme NQO1 when they were used alone. However, when the glucosinolate GSL9 was paired with the flavonoid quercetin, there was a synergistic effect, and induction of the detoxifying liver enzyme increased nearly 5-fold. Jeffrey concluded: “The seed meal is a promising nutritional supplement because its bioactive ingredients increase the liver’s ability to clear foreign chemicals and oxidative products. And that gives it potential anti-cancer benefit.”