Nephroprotective activity of Homalium Letestui stem extract against paracetamol induced kidney injury

摘要

Objective:Homalium letestui Pellegr (Flacourtiaceae) stem extract was evaluated for nephroprotective activity against paracetamol-induced kidney injury in rats. Materials and methods: Kidney injury was induced in rats with paracetamol (2g/kg) after pretreatment of the animals with H. letestui stem extract (250 - 750 mg/kg) for 8 days. The nephroprotective effect of the extract was evaluated by the determination of some kidney function parameters such as serum urea and creatinine, electrolyes (K+, Na+, Cl- and HCO-3), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and histopathological study of the liver. Results: Pretreatment with the stem extract caused significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent reduction of high levels of serum creatinine and urea. The electrolytes levels were not affected. Histology of the kidney sections of extract and silymarin- treated animals showed reductions in the pathological features compared to the paracetamol- treated animals. The chemical pathological changes were consistent with histopathological observations suggesting marked nephroprotective effect of the stem extract of H. letestui. Conclusion: The results show that the stem extract of H. letestui has nephroprotective potential which may be due to its antioxidant effect activity.