IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND IN VIVO NEPHROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF RUMEX ABYSSINICUS JACQ CRUDE ROOT EXTRACT AGAINST GENTAMICIN INDUCED NEPHROTOXICITY IN SWISS ALBINO MICE

Abstract

Abstract Background: Acute kidney injury is the commonest complication of amino glycoside treatment regimen such as gentamicin. Nephrotoxicity is the rapid deterioration of kidney function due to the toxic effects of drugs or chemicals. However there are no drugs used as a treatment without side effect. It is necessary of effective, affordable, and safe drugs form medicinal plant for the prevention of kidney toxicity caused by gentamicin. Medicinal plants are known nephroprotective agents that can reduce the effects of nephrotoxic substances without any side effect. Rumex abyssinicus Jacq plays a significant role in the folk medicine of Ethiopia in the treatment of numerous human diseases Objectives: This study was aim to evaluate the in vitro free radical scavenging activity and in vivo nephroprotective effect of 80% methanolic crude extracts of roots of Rumex abyssinicus Jacq in gentamicin-induced mice. Methods: Root of Rumex abyssinicus Jacq was collected and extracted using of 80% methanol solvent. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using calibration Gallic acid and Quercetin standards. Radical scavenging capacity of extract from Rumex abyssinicus Jacq root was accessed by DPPH and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power. The nephroprotective effect was conducted on thirty male Swiss albino mice. Mice were allocated randomly into five groups, six mice per group. Group I (normal control) that receives distilled water, Group II (gentamicin-induced only) treated with 100mg/kg gentamicin only, Group III-V were experimental groups that induced 100mg/kg gentamicin and treated with root extracts of Rumex abyssinicus (100,200,400mg/kg daily) for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, blood was drawn from each mouse by cardiac puncture for analysis of kidney function tests serum creatinine blood urea and uric acid. Kidney tissues were isolated for histopathological evaluation. Result: Gentamicin produced changes in renal indices, including increase in creatinine, blood urea and uric acid (p<0.001) levels compared to control. Morphologic pathologic analysis also revealed a decrease in body weight (p<0.001) and an increase in kidney weight in gentamicin group compared to control. Treatment with the crude extract of Rumex abyssinicus protect caused by gentamicin as evidenced by increasing body weight and decrease kidney weight (p<0.001). 200 and 400mg/kg treated group reduced the serum kidney markers; creatinine, urea and uric acid compared with group two. Group of mice treated with the 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg extracts showed prevent the pathological damage to the kidney in mice as compared with its negative control groups and remarkably reduced marked tubular necrosis, inflammation signs such as glomerular congestion, mononuclear infiltration, and blood vessel congestion. Group of mice treated with the 100mg/kg extract does not show significant difference in body weight, creatinine and blood urea but show significant difference in kidney weight (p<0.01) and uric acid (p<0.001) compared with group II. Conclusion: Based on our study, gentamicin induces generation of free radicals leading to oxidative damage to kidneys and acute kidney injury. Rumex abyssinicus might act in the kidney as a potent scavenger of free radicals to prevent the toxic effects of gentamicin and a potential protective agent against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity besides its traditional uses