Medicinal Plant Modulates Renal Toxicity And Oxidative Stress Induced By Heavy Metals in Rats

Abstract

This study focuses on the heavy metal lead nitrate and highlighting its true toxicity on the activity of kidney functions and the extent of the response of the extract of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis leaves and Ziziphus Spina-Christi leaves as an antioxidant. This study was conducted on 42 female rats of the female of albino Wistar nature. These rats were divided into 6 groups, each group containing 7 rats, one of which was a control, and the remaining five groups were treated by gavage, where the lead nitrate group was treated with a dose of 50 mg. mg/kg, and two groups were treated with an extract of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Ziziphus spina-Christi’s leaves at a dose of 1 ml/day, and two groups were treated with a combination of lead nitrate and an extract of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Ziziphus Spina-Christi’s leaves, respectively, for 21 days. Our results first show that exposure to lead nitrate causes slow growth of the body, an increase in the relative weight of the kidneys, and a disturbance in the biochemical metabolism, mainly characterized by hyperglycemia, a significant increase in the levels of urea, uric acid and creatinine. There is a significant increase in GST and a decrease in GSH in the kidneys. Secondly, the addition of the leaf extract of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Ziziphus Spina-Christi shows us effective results in reducing the oxidative stress resulting from lead nitrate on the kidneys, and specifically the leaf extract of Ziziphus Spina-Christi, as no noticeable difference was recorded compared to the control group. These results demonstrate the antioxidant effectiveness and ability of these medicinal plants to eliminate oxidative stress resulting from lead nitrate.