The effect of <i>Carica papaya</i> seed extract on the histology of the kidney in Wister rats

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of ripe and unripe carica papaya seeds on the histology of the kidney in male Wister rats. The animals were divided into four groups -A, B, C and D, with group A serving as control, while groups B,C and D served as test groups. The test groups were further subdivided into three -B1 – B3, C1 – C3 and D1 – D3 (n=4 each respectively) and the subgroups received a combination of ripe and unripe Carica papaya seeds; ripe Carica papaya seeds only; and unripe Carica papaya seeds only, respectively. At the end of the experimental period of six (6) weeks, the animals were sacrificed to harvest the kidneys for histological studies. Microscopic examinations of the respective kidney tissue sections revealed dosage dependent cytoarchitectural distortions across the groups especially in group D, where severe hemorrhagic signs, glomerular shrinkage, inflammatory cell infiltration, tubular wall disruption, and glomerular degenerations were observed. The results suggests that Carica papaya seed can best be classified as a dosage-dependent nephrotoxic or non-nephrotoxic agent and its cautious inclusion in herbal drug therapy is unequivocally recommended.

Key-words: Carica papaya, chymopopain, kidneys, nephrotoxic, papain