Abstract

Background: Acetaminophen is one of the over-the-counter drugs commonly used by humans as a pain reliever, while it is generally safe at a prescribed dose, abuse of the drug and overdose make it one of those drugs linked to kidney damage. Ipomoea cairica is one of the medicinal plants which has been reported to be an alternative source of treatment and prevention of toxic effect of chemicals against organ function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of I. cairica leaf extract against the nephrotoxic effect of acetaminophen in rats. Methods: Thirty-five rats were randomly divided into five groups (A, B, C, D, and E) of seven rats each. A: normal control; B: orally administered 2000 mg/kg of acetaminophen (ACET); C: orally administered 100 m/kg Methanolic extract of Ipomoea cairica (MEIC) for 14 days before single dose administration of ACET; D: orally administered 250 mg/kg of MEIC for 1 consecutive days before single dose administration of ACER; E: orally administered 250 mg/kg of MEIC for 14 consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after last administration. Blood was collected and processed for markers of renal function and electrolytes, the kidney was excised and processed for antioxidant, oxidative stress, and antiinflammatory level. Results: The results showed that MEIC at the two administered doses (100 and 250 mg/kg) caused a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the concentration of creatinine, urea, and uric acid when compared to the untreated group. Treatment with MEIC caused an insignificant increase (P>0.05) in sodium, potassium, and chloride ions and an increase in potassium ion. The concentration of glutathione (GSH) and the activities of MPO, NOR, XO, and MPO in the renal tissue of rats in the control group were also evaluated. MEIC was able to improve the ability of the kidney to clear creatinine from the blood. Conclusion: The study showed that the MEIC significantly improved the renal function to clear uraemia, implicated in kidney stones and cancer.

Key words: Acetaminophen, Nephrotoxicity, Ipomoea cairica, Oxidative stress, Inflammation