Effects of acute oral administration of aqueous extract of Syzygium guineense root on the kidney of albino Wistar rats

The first step in evaluating toxicity of a substance is to test for acute toxicity of that substance. The focus of acute oral toxicity is on possible short-term adverse effects from one or more oral exposures given within a 24-hour period. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of acute oral administration of Syzygium guineense’s root extract on the kidney of albino Wistar rats. S. guineense belongs to the family Myrtaceae. It is used against cancer and stomach ache, and as antihelmintic and purgative. A total of fifteen (15) young healthy male Wistar rats (8-10 weeks old) weighing between 140 g and 165 g were used for this study. The study was designed and conducted in two (2) phases: phase I and phase II using established protocols. In phase I, twelve (12) rats were divided into four (I-IV) groups of three rats each. Group I was designated as the control group, while groups II, III and IV were administered with 10 mgkg-1, 100 mgkg-1 and 1000 mgkg-1 respectively. In phase II, three rats were used and shared into three (I-III) groups of one rat each. Groups I, II and III were administered with 1600 mgkg-1, 2900 mgkg-1 and 5000 mgkg-1 respectively. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism version 9.2.0. Results from this research were presented as mean±SEM. Relative kidney weights showed significant decrease. Plasma sodium and urea concentrations showed significant increase. Kidney sections from the treated groups showed no remarkable changes. It is recommended that the root of S. guineense should be used with caution.

Key Words: acute oral toxicity, Syzygium guineense, renal function, histology, albino Wistar rat