Effect of Combined Paracetamol and Cuminum cyminum or Nigella sativa Use in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Cuminum cyminum fruit or Nigella sativa seed, a traditional medicine for treatment of various disorders, was fed to male Wistar rats at 6% of standard rat diet for 4 weeks. A 6% C. cyminum fruit or 6% N. sativa seed diet was not toxic to rats. Depression in growth, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were observed in rats that had been given paracetamol at 500 mg kg-1 per os for 4 weeks. These findings were accompanied by leucopenia, macrocytic normochromic anemia and alterations of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and concentrations of cholesterol, urea and other serum constituents. Serum bilirubin did not change. In rats given the mixture of paracetamol 500 mg kg-1 plus 6% C. cyminum fruit or 6% N. sativa seed for 4 weeks, the recovery of paracetamol hepatotoxicity was evidenced by increase in body weight, absence of hepatocellular fatty vacuolation and significant improvement of serbiochemical and hematological parameters. There was no evidence of any antinephrotoxic activity of plants used.