{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]],"date-time":"2026-04-23T12:26:49Z","timestamp":1776947209846,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]],"date-time":"2022-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659657600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Opuntia stricta is a rich source of phenolic compounds. This species generally has strong antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo. This study aimed to analyze the antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds isolated from Opuntia stricta, including its radical scavenging activities and preventive action against Cd-induced oxidative stress in rats. To assess the protection of prickly pear juice extract (PPJE) against Cd-induced hepato-nephrotoxicity and testicular damage, male albino rats received PPJE (250 mg kg\u22121) and\/or Cd (1 mg kg\u22121) by oral administration and injection, respectively, for five consecutive weeks. The preventive action of PPJE was estimated using biochemical markers of kidney and liver tissues, antioxidant status, and histological examinations. In the present study, the lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, antioxidant status, and metallothionein levels were determined in different tissues. The chromatographic analysis indicated that PPJE extract is very rich in phenolic compounds such as verbascoside, catechin hydrate, and oleuropein. Our results showed that PPJE-treated rats had significantly (p &lt; 0.05) decreased Cd levels in liver and kidney tissues. In addition, the administration of PPJE induced a significant (p &lt; 0.05) decrease in lipid peroxidation of 30.5, 54.54, and 40.8 in the liver, kidney, and testicle, respectively, and an increase in antioxidant status in these tissues. Additionally, PPJE showed a strong ability to protect renal, hepatic, and testicular architectures against Cd exposure. This study revealed that PPJE protects against the toxic effects of Cd, possibly through its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27154972","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]],"date-time":"2022-08-05T02:12:39Z","timestamp":1659665559000},"page":"4972","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["HPLC Analysis and the Antioxidant and Preventive Actions of Opuntia stricta Juice Extract against Hepato-Nephrotoxicity and Testicular Injury Induced by Cadmium Exposure"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Xiaoli","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science & Institute of Food Biotechnology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"College of Food and Biotechnology, Guangdong Industry Polytechnic, Guangzhou 510300, China"},{"name":"Research Center for Micro-Ecological Agent Engineering and Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5755-7112","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Khaled","family":"Athmouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Animal Ecophysiology, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114455","DOI":"10.1016\/j.molliq.2020.114455","article-title":"Toxicity of Heavy Metals in Plants and Animals and Their Uptake by Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles","volume":"321","author":"Rehman","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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