Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) enhances kidney and liver functions in Wistar rats

ABSTRACT

Botanical drugs are complementary therapies in the management and treatment of clinical conditions. This study was aimed at investigating the possible changes in the structural and functional entities of two vital organs, the liver and kidney, following oral administration of ethanolic leaf extracts of Catharanthus roseus. Thirty-two wistar rats were used for this study and were randomly assigned into three treatment (n=24) and control (n=8) groups. The animals in the treatment groups A, B, and C respectively- received 400 mg, 300 mg and 200 mg per kg body weight of Madagascar periwinkle extract for twenty-one days, while the animals in the control group (group D) received an equal amount of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The administration was performed orally using an orogastric tube over twenty-one days (21d). Twenty-four hours after the last administration, all the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Laparatomy was performed and the liver and kidney excised, trimmed free of fat, and rinsed in cold phosphate buffered saline solution. The liver was quickly fixed in 10% formolsaline, while the kidney was fixed in Bouin’s fluid for histological processing. Blood samples collected from the abdominal aorta and portions of the liver stored at -20°C in the refrigerator were used for the biochemical analysis of kidney metabolites and liver enzymes respectively. It was observed that the activities of the kidney metabolites and liver enzymes following the administration of the ethanolic extract of C. roseus were statistically and significantly reduced in a dose-dependent pattern in all the experimental groups when compared with the control group. The results obtained from this study suggest that the oral administration of ethanolic extracts of C. roseus has no compromising effect on the kidney and liver and may enhance the functional features of the organs of Wistar rats to a greater extent (AU)

RESUMEN

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