Protective effect of Aquilegia vulgaris (L.) against lead acetate-induced oxidative stress in rats

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2009-09, Vol.47 (9), p.2209-2215
• Main Authors: El-Nekeety, Aziza A., El-Kady, Ahmed A., Soliman, Mahmoud S., Hassan, Nabila S., Abdel-Wahhab, Mosaad A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adverse effects; animal models; Animals; Aquilegia; Aquilegia - chemistry; Aquilegia vulgaris; Biological and medical sciences; blood serum; body weight; Body Weight - drug effects; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Clinical Chemistry Tests; Drug Interactions; Eating - drug effects; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; food intake; Free Radical Scavengers - chemistry; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; General pharmacology; glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Kidney; Kidney - drug effects; Kidney - metabolism; Kidney - pathology; kidneys; Lead acetate; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Liver - pathology; Male; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Organometallic Compounds - toxicity; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Components, Aerial - chemistry; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; poisoning; protective effect; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Toxicology; weight gain
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2009.06.019

Oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in lead toxicity. The current study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of Aquilegia vulgaris (L.) against lead acetate (LA)-induced oxidative stress in male rats. Tested animals were treated orally with A. vulgaris extract (100ppm) in combination with, before, or after LA treatment (20ppm). The results indicated that the extract alone did not induce any significant changes in body weight gain, food intake, serum biochemical chemistry or the histological picture of the liver and kidney. However, it increased significantly the level of Glutathione (GSH). On the other hand, LA decreased food intake, body weight gain and induced oxidative stress as indicated by the significant changes in serum biochemical parameters and histological picture of liver and kidney and increased lipid peroxide and reduces GSH levels in liver tissues. The extract succeeded to improve the histological pictures of liver and kidney and the biochemical parameters towards the normal values of the control. Moreover, this improvement was pronounced in the animals treated with the extract after LA intoxication.