DICHLORVOS INDUCED NEPHROTOXICITY IN RAT KIDNEY: PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ALSTONIA BOONEI STEM BARK EXTRACT

Purpose: Dichlorvos (DDVP) causes toxicity in animals including humans. Alstonia boonei stem bark is widely used as a culinary medicine in the Ayurvedic system of medicine, possessing a number of pharmacological properties. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Alstonia boonei (AB) against dichlorvos induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats. Methods: Dichlorvos (50 mg/kg body weight) was orally administered in Wistar rats for 14 days followed by the treatment of Alstonia boonei (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) for 14 days. Changes in the kidney biochemical marker namely, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), urea, and creatinine in the serum were estimated. Histological examinations of the kidney were monitored. Results: Exposure to dichlorvos lowered activities of kidney antioxidants, while it increased LPO levels. Levels of all disrupted parameters were alleviated by co-administration of AB extract. The malondialdehyde concentration of the rats treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg body weights of the extract significantly decreased (p<0.05) when compared with the untreated dichlorvos rats. But the creatinine concentration decreased significantly (p<0.05) when 200 and 400 mg/kg body weights of the extract of the treated dichlorvos animals were compared with the dichlorvos control. Furthermore, histological alterations in the kidney were observed in dichlorvos untreated rats and were ameliorated in dichlorvos-induced treated rats with Alstonia boonei. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results indicated that dichlorvos showed a protective effect on dichlorvos induced nephrotoxicity.