Vernonia amygdalina

Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) has been reported to possess different biological effects which is why it is perceived as a wonder herb by locals. 1, 2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH), a potent carcinogen is renowned for its toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) on DMH-induced toxicity in rats. Forty (40) male Wistar albino rats weighing 150 – 200 g were randomly assigned to eight (8) groups (5 rats per group): control, DMH, silymarin, VA only, pretreatment [200 mg/kg body weight (bwt)], pretreatment (400 mg/kg bwt), post-treatment (200 mg/kg bwt), and post-treatment (400mg/kg bwt) groups. With the exception of control and VA only groups, the rats were exposed to DMH before or after treatment with VA via intraperitoneal route at a single dose of 40 mg/kg bwt. Rats in the silymarin group were treated with the standard hepato-/cardio-protective drug, silymarin (100 mg/kg bwt). The treatment lasted for 21 days. At the end of the treatment period the rats were euthanized and blood/tissue samples collected for biochemical analyses. Oxidative stress markers were measured in rat organs (liver, kidney, heart, pancreas and colon). Portions of excised organs were subjected to histopathological examination.
The results showed that exposure of adult male Wistar albino rats to DMH resulted in significant increases (p<0.05) in the relative organ weights, total protein (TP), activities/levels of liver, kidney and cardiac function parameters, lipid peroxidation index [malondialdehyde (MDA)], lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), very-low density lipoprotein cholesterol VLDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)], and cardiovascular disease risk factors [atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC) and cardiac risk ratio (CRR)], but it reduced the activities/levels of antioxidant enzymes/molecules (p<0.05). However, treatment of the rats with ethanol extract of V. amygdalina leaves significantly reduced the activities/levels of the indices of liver, kidney and cardiac function, MDA, TP, TC, TG, VLDL-C, LDL-C and cardiovascular disease risk factors, while enhancing the activities/levels of antioxidant enzymes/molecules (p<0.05). The plant extract also significantly ameliorated the structural alterations/distortions caused by DMH to rat organs (p < 0.05).
These results indicate that ethanol extract of the medicinal plant leaves can effectively ameliorate DMH-induced systemic toxicity in Wistar rats