Assessment of the Antioxidant Potential of Hypoestes rosea Leaf in Lead-acetate-induced Albino Rats

Hypoestes rosea has been used as a traditional medicine in the Niger delta for dysfunction of the endocrine system. However, there has been no known study on the effects of hypoestes rosea on oxidative stress. In this study we evaluated the effect of aqueous extract of Hypoestes rosea (AEHR) leaf on oxidative stress markers of lead acetate induced male and female albino rats at acute and sub-chronic stages in pre-treatment and post-treatment phases. Animals were divided into 17 groups of five each for both sexes in the treatment groups, while the positive control group had 10 animals in each sex. 8 groups were for the acute phase of the study for 21 days in each sex, while 8 were for 35 days for the sub chronic stage of the study. Negative Control (NC) group received rat feed only, Experimental (EC) group received 100 mg/kg bwt/day for 21 days at acute and 35 days for sub chronic.  Positive Control (PC) group received 60mg/kg b.wt per day of lead acetate for 35 days. The other 3 groups received 100 mgkg, 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg b. wt respectively for 14 and 28 days either as pre treatment or post treatment, for both sexes of the albino rats. Samples were taken at the end of the study period through the jugular vein under chloroform anaesthesia. Results showed lead acetate induced oxidative stress in the rats, evidenced by the significantly decreased (p < 0.05) Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) between the NC and PC groups. The plant in a dose dependent pattern was able to significantly (p < 0.05), reverse the effect of lead acetate in the Post and pre treatment phases. Our study also shows that dose dependent AEHR extract significantly reduced the impact of lead in oxidative stress markers. In conclusion, consumption of AEHR by albino rats could help protect against lead acetate induced oxidative stress.