Ameliorative Effect Of Ocimum Gratissimum Aqueous Leaf Extracts On Cadmium-Induced Liver And Kidney Injury:- Ogbu, Joshua C

ABSTRACT xii Cadmium (Cd) is one of the heavy metals causing risks for living organisms and induces high toxicity to different biological systems. Scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) is a plant widely used as food. It has antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, diuretic, hepatoprotective and other medicinal properties. These properties may be as result of its phytochemical constituents such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phlobatannins, anthraquinones, steroids, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides. This research study evaluated the ameliorative effect of O. gratissimum aqueous leaf extract on Cadmium-induced liver and kidney injury in rats. Twenty five albino wistar rats were assigned into five groups (A, B, C, D and E) of 5 rats each. Group A was used as normal control, group B served as the negative control being treated with CdCh (50 mg/kg) only, group C is the positive control (treated with silymarin) 50 mg/kg, group D is the low dose extract (400 mg/kg) + CdClj (50 mg/kg), while group E is the high dose extract (800 mg/kg) + CdCh (50 mg/kg) group. The experiment lasted for twenty eight days. The animals were sacrificed on the 28th day by anaestizing in a closed chamber using chloroform. Blood was collected by cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. The liver and the kidney were collected, fixed in 90% formalin and processed for biochemical analysis. Biochemical analysis showed that there were significant decrease (P>0.05) in serum ALP, ALT, bilirubin and AST levels in group C, D and E when compared with the negative control (group B). In the silymarin treated group, ALP, ALT, bilirubin, except AST markers returned to near normal levels compared to group D and E. The reduction in total protein level as seen in the negative control (group B) improved significantly in group C, D, and E treated with silymarin and the varying doses of extract respectively. Urea was significantly (P>0.05) decreased in group B compared to group A, C, D and E. Creatinine increased significantly (P<0.05) in the negative group compared to group A, C, D and E. There was a significant (p>0.05) decrease in SOD and catalase in group B compared to group A, C, D and E, while MDA increased significantly (p<0.05) in group B compared to group A, C, D and E. Ocimum gratissimum is useful in culinary dishes and may also be useful in the treatment of certain ailments associated with oxidative stress and could confer protection on the liver and kidney tissues against injury and damage.