Rat plasma metabolites and renal morphology following oral exposure to a polyherbal mixture

Abstract

Dearth of empirical evidence to support medicinal claims of several herbal mixtures fuels growing safety concerns among the research community. Currently, there are no scientific data on Fijk herbal mixture even though it enjoys wide patronage in Nigeria. This study was done to evaluate biochemical indices and renal morphology following oral and repeated exposure to Fijk herbal. Twenty-four male Wistar rats of weight between 195-210 g were randomly distributed into four groups. Group 1 served as control and received distilled water only. Groups 2-4 received oral administration of Fijk herbal at 15, 30 and 45 mg kg· 1, respectively. The treatment was daily and lasted for 21 days, after which the animals were sacrificed under anesthesia. The blood and kidney tissues were collected and used for the biochemical determinations and histopathology examination. Exposure to Fijk herbal in rats caused elevated levels of plasma creatinine and urea relative to the control. Likewise, levels of rat plasma potassium and sodium increased following oral exposure to Fijk herbal. In contrast, the rat kidney weights as well as organ-to-body weight ratio were significantly decreased due to Fijk herbal exposure. The histopathology examinations revealed inflammation, swollen renal tubules and necrosis in groups exposed to Fijk herbal. Oral and repeated exposure to Fijk herbal elevated rat biochemical indices and caused cellular lesion reminiscent of renal injury.