Evaluation of protective potentials of Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter leaf) extracts on some selected organs of cadmium chloride-induced hypertensive albino rats

Many food components such as plant metabolites, have been shown to possess antioxidant activities. Vernonia amygdalina is widely consumed as vegetable for its rich array of phytochemicals and nutritional components which are attributed to its various health and medicinal benefits. The study evaluated the protective potentials of Vernonia amygdalina extracts on selected heart, Liver and Kidney of Cadmium Chloride-induced Hypertensive albino rats. The animals were induced hypertension with cadmium chloride. Total size of 50 albino rats of male and females were grouped according to sex in five different groups of ten rats per group; Control Group (1), Hypertensive Group (2), Standard group (3), methanol group (4) and n-hexane group (5). At the end of the study, blood was collected by cardiac puncture while the organs were harvested for histology test. Liver function evaluated was Aspartate Transaminase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alanine Phosphatase (ALP). Renal function test was done following standard methods for estimation of serum Urea and Creatinine, Electrolyte and Calcium while heart, liver and kidney were subjected to histological technique. One way ANOVA was used for analysis of the collected data and was expressed as Mean ± SEM. Result of Hypertensive group showed significant increase in sodium level (p<0.05) when compared with Control group. Significant decrease was observed in Sodium values of Standard drug, Vernonia amygdalina methanol and n-hexane groups when compared with the hypertensive none treated Control. Significant decrease was observed in AST values of Test groups 4 and 5 while Total bilirubin value showed significant decrease in Group 4, when hypertensive control is compared with all other Groups. Total bilirubin values of Groups 4 and 5 showed significant decrease as compared Standard to all groups. The treatment with bitter leaf resulted in a reversal of values found in untreated hypertensive group compared with the test group. Heart, liver and kidney tissues showed no lesion or inflammation in all the groups except hypertensive none treated group that showed distorted patchy necrotic area in the histology test. The results of this study suggest that Vernonia amygdalina possesses protective potential against Cadmium chloride induced hypertension in albino rats.