ABSTRACT
Lead poisoning is known to cause a number of adverse effects including nephrophaty, infertility, liver, testis and heart damages in human and experimental animals. The toxic effects of lead are treated by chelation therapy whichalso depletes the body store of essential cations and as such there is need to look for alternative therapy to lead poisoning. The present study was aimed at evaluating the effects of Aqueous and Ethanol extracts of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves (AZM & EZM) on lead acetate induced liver toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. Forty (40) adult male Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups of 5 rats per group. Group 1 was administered with distilled water from 1st to 35th day, Group 2 to 7 were administered with 120mg/kg bwt of lead acetate from 1st to 21st. While the rats in Group 2 were sacrificed on the 22ndday of the administration, From the 22nd to 35th day; Group 3 was treated with 100mg/kg bwt of AZM, Group 4 was treated with 400mg/kg bwt of AZM, Group 5 was treated with 100 mg/kg bwt of EZM, Group 6 was treated with 400mg/kg bwt EZM, Group 7 was treated with 10mg/kg bwt of Succimer, Group 8 was administered with distilled water. The administrations were carried out once orally for 35 days. The rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture for haematological and biochemical analysis. Liver tissues were removed and fixed in 10% Formalin and processed for histopathological studies using Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) for Histo-architecture of the Liver, Gordon and Sweets for Reticular fibre and Periodic Acid Schiff for glycogen storage. The results showed that there were increased in liver enzyme parameters AST, ALT and ALP, and the effects were reversed in rats exposed to lead acetate and treated with AZM and EZM. Oxidative stress was induced in rats exposed to lead acetate by decreasing catalase, superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione, and the effects were ameliorated in lead exposed rats treated with AZM and EZM. There were changes in haematological indices of rats exposed to lead acetate and these changes were reversed in rats treated with AZM and x EZM. The study showed that there were increased lead accumulations in liver of rats exposed to lead acetate and these changes were ameliorated in rats treated with AZM and EZM. The study also revealed histopathological changes in liver of rats exposed to lead acetate, changes includes Vacoulations, Necrotic Hepatocytes, Distorted Sinusoids, Degeneration of Reticular fibres and Depletion of glycogen storage and the changes were ameliorated when treated with AZM and EZM. Thus, the present study has concluded that Aqueous and Ethanol extracts of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves at doses of 100mg/kg bwt and 400mg/kg bwt was able to ameliorate the effects of lead acetate induced toxicity and may likely be beneficial to the population in endemic areas that are exposed to lead poisoning.