Haematological and renal histomorphological assessments of rats pretreated with methanol stem bark extract of <i>Parinaric kerstingii</i> and intoxicated with acetaminophen

Abstract

Acetaminophen is known to induce acute kidney injury; and medicinal plants have been recorded to be beneficial in management of such injuries. This study investigated the effects of methanol stem bark extract of Parinari kerstingii (MSBEPK) on the haematology and renal histomorphology of acetaminophen-intoxicated rats. Fifty four albino Wistar rats assigned into six groups, replicated thrice with three rats per replicate were used for the study. Groups A and B received 10 ml/kg distilled water to serve as normal and negative controls respectively; C-E were pretreated with 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg of MSBEPK respectively while Group F rats were given 100 mg/kg of Silymarin. All pretreatments lasted for14 days and on the 15th day, 2000 mg/kg of acetaminophen was administered to all the rats except those in Group A. 48 hours post acetaminophen administration, blood samples were collected for Haematology and thereafter, the kidneys were harvested for histopathology following euthanasia. Results showed that red blood cell counts, packed cell volume values and the haemoglobin concentrations of the MSBEPK-pretreated rats were significantly higher than those of the negative control (Group B). The leucocytic profiles did not show any significant variations across the groups. The kidneys of the rats pretreated with the extract showed little or no lesion as opposed to those of the acetaminophen-treated control group that showed degenerative and necrotic lesions. It was concluded that MSBEPK could improve haematological values and protect the kidneys against deleterious effects occasioned by acetaminophen intoxication.