Nephroprotective Effect of Asparagus africanus Lam. Root Extract against Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Swiss Albino Mice

Abstract

The kidney is the organ most vulnerable to nephrotoxic drugs such as gentamicin. Nephrotoxicity is a rapid deterioration of kidney function due to various factors. Gentamicin causes nephrotoxicity, which was manifested by an increase in serum kidney biomarkers. Asparagus africanus is one of the ethnomedicinal plants used as traditional medicine for treating various ailments, including kidney disease in Ethiopian society. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of A. africanus root extract on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. Using maceration techniques, 100 g of dried plant powder was extracted in 1 L of ethanol. The physicochemical screening of plant extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and steroids. The nephroprotective activity of A. africanus crude extract was evaluated on male Swiss albino mice. The crude ethanolic extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses showed strong nephroprotective effects by restoring biomarkers such as creatinine, uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen, which were damaged by gentamicin ( p < 0.05 ) in a dose-dependent manner. The mice treated with higher doses (400 mg/kg) had a comparable nephroprotective effect compared to the positive control group (200 mg/kg silymarin; p > 0.05 ). The histopathology of the control group showed normal glomeruli, normal parenchyma, distal convoluted, and no tubular damage. The toxicant-induced group showed damage to glomeruli and inflammatory infiltration. Therefore, A. africanus root extract has a nephroprotective activity by retarding the gentamicin toxicity in male Swiss albino mice.

Nephroprotective Effect of the Leaf Extract of Ajuga remota Benth Against Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Swiss Albino Mice

“…This finding is congruent with the results of a study conducted in Ethiopia on gentamicin-induced mice. 63 Furthermore, the increased in serum creatinine and blood urea levels due to gentamicin injection was remarkably reduced by the administration of methanol leaf extract of Ajuga remota , which is in line with the results of previous studies of different medicinal plants performed on gentamicin-induced mice. 64–66 The current study also found significantly decreased mean serum creatinine and blood urea levels in MEAR-treated mice.…”

Antioxidant activity of selected plants extract for palm oil stability via accelerated and deep frying study

“…The TPC of the A. corrorima hydro distillation extract was 3.98 ± 0.27 mg GAE/g for the seed and 1.32 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g for the pod [ 17 ]. The disagreement might be due to the method of extraction, the solvent used, the plant seed harvesting period, the different geographical distribution of the plant, and other environmental factors [ 23 ]. The principal antioxidants or free radical scavengers in plants are correlated with phenolic compounds [ 44 ].…”

“…The solvent extracts were filtered and concentrated using a rotary evaporator at a temperature of 60 °C with a speed of 90 rpm to have a solid consistency and dried at room temperature. Finally, the crude extract was packed in air-tight glass bottles with proper labels and kept in a refrigerator at 4 °C until used for the next experiment [ 23 ]. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the plant crude extracts such as saponin, alkaloids, steroid, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic, terpenoids, glycosides and quinones were investigated using a standard methods reported from the previous similar study [ 14 ].…”

A review of therapeutic impacts of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and its constituents

“…Aminoglycosides including gentamicin has been listed as a category of antibiotics with murderous effects against aerobic bacteria. One of the known side effects of these antibiotics is nephrotoxicity (Meka Kedir et al, 2022). The toxic impacts of aminoglycosides antibiotics on kidney are imagined to be due to the induction of the generation of free radicals (Pakfetrat et al, 2022).…”