Table 12.
Antioxidant effects of THY across multiple species and models.
| Species/ model | THY Dosage/ formulation | Key measurements | Findings | References | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquatic species | |||||
| Nile tilapia | 1–2 mL/kg feed | MDA, GSH reductase in muscle/liver, catalase | Reduces MDA, enhances antioxidant enzyme activity | (2) | 2018 |
| Thyme powder (THP; 2%) with insecticide exposure | MDA in O. niloticus | Reduces MDA levels compared to control; mitigates insecticide-induced oxidative damage | (13) | 2020 | |
| Rainbow trout | Phytogenic additive (6 g/kg of THY) | MDA, GSH-based enzymes, catalase | Reduces MDA, increases GSH activity, increases catalase | (114) | 2012 |
| 0, 500, 1,000, 1,500 mg/kg THEO | SOD, GPx, MDA | Increases liver SOD and GPx, reduces MDA | (115) | 2015 | |
| THEO | ALT, AST, cortisol, glucose, CAT, GPx | THY suppresses oxytetracycline-induced enzyme changes; increases gut CAT and GPx activities | (116) | 2018 | |
| Common carp | THY (short/long exposure) | MDA, oxidative stress markers | Lower MDA, less stress-induced oxidative markers with THY | (117) | 2018 |
| Mammalian models | |||||
| Mice | THY (60 mg/kg in DSS model) | MPO, MDA, GSH, SOD | Loweres MPO and MDA, increases GSH and SOD in colonic tissues, indicating antioxidant effect in DSS colitis model | (45) | 2018 |
| THY (0, 20, 40, 80 mg/kg) | Lung MDA | THY dose-dependently reduces LPS-induced MDA in lung tissue | (108) | 2018 | |
| Rats | THEO | Lipid peroxidation, SOD, GSH | Reduces lipid peroxidation and restores SOD and GSH levels in T. vitulorum-infected rats | (118) | 2013 |
| THEO (5.6% THY) and olive EOs (1.5 g/kg bw) | SOD, GPx, CAT, non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity | Increases catalase, reduces SOD and GPx, modulates plasma antioxidant capacity; enhances bioavailability of olive phenolics in combination | (119) | 2014 | |
| THY oral administration | TAC, TOC, TBARS, GSH | Reverses hydrocortisone-induced oxidative stress markers, elevates TAC, and decreases TOC | (106) | 2015 | |
| Rabbits | THY (3–6 mg/kg/day) | MDA, serum TAC | Lowers MDA and enhances TAC in the serum of high-fat diet animals | (112) | 2016 |
| THY (250 mg/kg feed) | MDA, GPx, LDH | Reduces MDA and GPx in blood; decreases LDH in muscle tissue | (120) | 2020 | |
| Pigs | EOs blend (18% THY, 0.01%) | Plasma TAC | Increases TAC | (18) | 2012 |
| EOs blend (13.5% THY, 4.5% CIN) | Plasma antioxidant capacity | Increases plasma antioxidant capacity | (121) | 2014 | |
| THY-CAR blend (1:1, 100 mg/kg) | SOD, GPx, TBARS in jejunum | Elevates SOD, GPx, and reduces TBARS in jejunum in supplemented group | (15) | 2017 | |
| THY (0.01% in diet) | SDH, LDH, drip loss | Reduces oxidative markers, enhances SDH activity, and improves muscle quality | (122) | 2020 | |
| EOs blend (10% THY, 10% CIN) | Hepatic SOD, GSH | Higher hepatic SOD activity; no reduction in GSH, suggesting stimulated antioxidant defense | (123) | 2023 | |
| Dairy cows | THEO (THY ~59%) | NF-κB binding energy | Demonstrates potential against oxidative stress, with binding energy of THY to NF-κB indicating suitability for oxidative stress management | (124) | 2023 |
| Poultry | |||||
| Broiler chickens | THY-CAR blend (0, 60, 100, and 200 mg/kg) | SOD, GPx, MDA | Increases SOD, GPx; decreases MDA in liver, serum, and thigh muscle | (125) | 2013 |
| THY (200 mg/kg) | Plasma MDA | Significantly reduces MDA in plasma | (22) | 2014 | |
| Nigella seed EO (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 g/kg) | SOD, GSH, GPx | Greater SOD and GSH with 1.5 g/kg; increases GPx in antibiotic and 1 g/kg groups | (21) | 2015 | |
| THY (250 mg/kg feed) | Serum GPx | Elevates GPx in heat-stressed chickens | (126) | 2016 | |
| THEO (0, 0.05, and 0.1%) | SOD, MDA | Elevates SOD and reduces MDA levels in plasma with THEO supplementation | (59) | 2019 | |
| EOs blend (0–400 mg/kg) | SOD, MDA, GPx, total antioxidant capacity | SOD increases in higher doses (200–400 mg/kg); no significant effect on MDA, GPx, and total antioxidant capacity | (19) | 2021 | |
| Turkey | THY (0, 30 mg/kg) or EO blend | Lipid oxidative stability, GSH enzymes | Improves lipid oxidative stability and increases GSH-based enzyme activity | (127) | 2014 |
| Laying hens | THP (0–9 g/kg) | SOD, GSH, MDA | Increases SOD, GSH; reduces MDA | (128) | 2015 |
| THP (0.9%) | SOD, MDA | Increases SOD, decreases MDA levels | (1) | 2017 | |
| In vitro and ex vivo studies | |||||
| Porcine brain tissue | THEO from three different Thymus species (THY: 38.5%, 49.10%, and 56.02%) | Radical scavenging, thiobarbituric acid assay | Highest radical scavenging in T. serpyllum, followed by T. algeriensis, and T. vulgaris Eos | (32) | 2013 |
| RAW264.7 macrophages | THY (10, 20, and 40 μg/mL) | ROS | Dose-dependent inhibition of LPS-induced ROS production | (41) | 2017 |
| IPC-J2 cells | THY pretreatment (0, 50 μM) | ROS | Inhibites LPS-induced ROS production | (25) | 2019 |
| Bovine ovarian tissue | THY (400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200 μg/mL) | mRNA for SOD1, CAT, GPX1, PRDX6 | Increases CAT activity at 800 μg/mL; reduces mRNA expression of SOD1, CAT, PRDX6 at 400–800 μg/mL | (129) | 2024 |