O.C. EKHATOR

This study investigated the protective effects of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) rind extract against cadmium-induced toxicity,on lipid profiles in Wistar rats. Twenty rats were divided into five groups: a control, a cadmium-only group, a cadmium with vitamin C group, and two groups receiving cadmium along with watermelon rind extract at 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight. The experiment lasted for 60 days. Results showed that cadmium exposure significantly suppressed weight gain and induced dyslipidemia, expressed by elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Treatment with the hydroethanolic watermelon rind extract, particularly at the 500 mg/kg dose, ameliorated these effects, resulting in a significant increase in percentage weight gain and a normalization of the lipid profile, comparable to the protective effects of vitamin C. The extract did not significantly reduce blood cadmium levels, suggesting its mechanism is likely cyto protection through antioxidant activity rather than metal chelation. The results show that watermelon rind phytowaste possesses bioactive compounds that can mitigate cadmium induced metabolic disturbances.

Cadmium and lead represent hazardous heavy metals that present substantial threats to environmental quality and human health worldwide. These metallic contaminants undergo bioaccumulation in living tissues, triggering oxidative damage and multiple pathological manifestations in vital organs. Given the extended biological retention periods of these toxicants, there exists an urgent requirement for efficacious and environmentally sound therapeutic approaches. This research examined how Annona muricataphy to waste extracts influence lead and cadmium tissue accumulation in Wistar rat models. Thirty male Wistar rats (80-100g) were allocated randomly across five treatment cohorts over 90 days. Group I received distilled water (control), Group II was administered lead acetate with cadmium chloride, Group III received zinc sulfate (1mg/kg) and selenium (1.5mg/kg), while Groups IV and V were treated with ethanol-based Annona muricata extract at 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg, respectively. Heavy metal quantification in splenic, cerebral, and skeletal tissues was performed via atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results revealed marked metal deposition in untreated subjects, with cadmium elevated by 189% in the brain, 115% in the spleen, and 102% in the bone. Lead increasedby 79%in bone, 55% in brain, and 115% in spleen. Zinc-selenium intervention reduced cadmiumby76% (spleen), 67% (brain), and 65% (bone), while lead decreased by 64%, 67%, and54%respectively. The 250mg/kg EEAM dosage decreased cadmium by 73%across all tissues, with lead reductions of 66%, 46%, and 64%. The 500mg/kg dosage demonstrated superior protection in soft tissues, reducing cadmium by 80% in brain and lead by 75% in the spleen, though skeletal
The tissue showed paradoxical increases, suggesting metal mobilization. This investigation validates the therapeutic utility of Annona muricata phyto waste for ameliorating heavy metal intoxication.

Cadmium and lead represent hazardous heavy metals that present substantial threats to environmental quality and human health worldwide. These metallic contaminants undergo bioaccumulation in living tissues, triggering oxidative damage and multiple pathological manifestations in vital organs. Given the extended biological retention periods of these toxicants, there exists an urgent requirement for efficacious and environmentally sound therapeutic approaches. This research examined how Annona muricata phytowaste extracts influence lead and cadmium tissue accumulation in Wistar rat models.Thirty male Wistar rats (80-100g) were allocated randomly across five treatment cohorts over 90 days. Group I received distilled water (control), Group II was administered lead acetate with cadmium chloride, Group III received zinc (1mg/kg) and selenium (1.5mg/kg), while Groups IV and V were treated with ethanol- based Annona muricata extract at 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg respectively. Heavy metal quantification in splenic, cerebral, and skeletal tissues was performed via atomic absorption spectrophotometry.Results revealed marked metal deposition in untreated subjects, with cadmium elevated by 189% in brain, 115% in spleen, and 102% in bone. Lead increased by 79% in bone, 55% in brain, and 115% in spleen. Zinc-selenium intervention reduced cadmium by 76% (spleen), 67% (brain), and 65% (bone), while lead decreased by 64%, 67%, and 54% respectively. The 250mg/kg EEAM dosage decreased cadmium by 73% across all tissues, with lead reductions of 66%, 46%, and 64%. The 500mg/kg dosage demonstrated superior protection in soft tissues, reducing cadmium by 80% in brain and lead by 75% in spleen, though skeletal tissue showed paradoxical increases suggesting metal mobilization.This investigation validates the therapeutic utility of Annona muricata phytowaste for ameliorating heavy metal intoxication, with protection equivalent to conventional supplementation. The transformation of agricultural by-products into therapeutic resources aligns with sustainable development objectives while addressing environmental contamination.

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal pollutant that causes significant reproductive dysfunction in males through oxidative stress and testicular damage. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) rind contains bioactive phytochemicals with potential antioxidant properties that may offer protection against heavy metal-induced toxicity. This study investigated the testicular protective effect of hydroethanolic watermelon rind extract against cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity in Wistar rats. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five groups of five animals each. Group one served as the control and received distilled water only. Group two received 1 mg/kg
body weight of cadmium chloride in distilled water . Group three was co-administered 1 mg/kg of cadmium chloride and 100 mg/kg of vitamin C as positive control. Groups four and five received
1 mg/kg of cadmium chloride alongside 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of aqueous extract of Citrullus lanatus phytowaste (AECLP), respectively . All treatments were administered orally for sixty consecutive days. On day sixty-one, the animals were fasted overnight, humanely sacrificed, and samples collected. Semen was obtained from the epididymis for sperm analysis including sperm count, motility parameters. Results demonstrated that AECLP at both doses caused severe reproductive toxicity rather than protection, with complete elimination of progressive sperm motility, total loss of sperm viability, and undetectable sperm counts compared to control and
cadmium-only groups. The extract paradoxically enhanced testicular cadmium bioaccumulation, particularly at the higher dose. These findings suggest that watermelon rind extract at the tested
doses exhibits dose-dependent reproductive toxicity, warranting comprehensive safety reevaluation before therapeutic applications in reproductive health

Cadmium (Cd) is a pervasive environmental toxicant known to induce hepatotoxicity through oxidative stress. This study investigated the protective effect of a hydroethanolic extract of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) rind against cadmium-induced liver damage in Wistar rats. Twenty five rats were divided into five groups: control, negative control (CdCl₂ only), Vitamin C, and two groups receiving C. lanatus extract (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg). After 60 days, biochemical liver markers were analyzed. The negative control group showed elevated levels of AST, ALT, and total bilirubin, indicating hepatocellular injury. In contrast, treatment with the C. lanatus extract, particularly at 500 mg/kg, significantly ameliorated these alterations, bringing the enzyme and bilirubin levels closer to those of the control and Vitamin C groups. The extract also counteracted the growth-suppressive effect of cadmium, with treated groups showing significantly higher body weight gain. There were no significant changes in liver cadmium concentration or liver to body weight ratio across groups. This can imply that the hydroethanolic extract of C. lanatus rind possesses potent hepatoprotective properties against cadmium toxicity, likely mediated by its antioxidant phytoconstituents, which stabilize hepatocyte membranes and improve metabolic function without altering cadmium accumulation.