AQUEOUS LEAF EXTRACT OF Murraya koenigii PROTECTS AGAINST LEAD-INDUCED CARDIO TOXICITY IN MALE WISTAR RATS

ABSTRACT

Murraya koenigii is a popular spice herb in India and South East Asia. The leaves have uses in folk medicine and ayurvedas. Lead is a widely distributed, toxic environment pollutant. Aim of the study is to find therapeutic potentials of aqueous extract of Murraya koenigii (CuLE) against lead induced oxidative damage in cardiac tissue of rats. The objectives are to study the alterations of various stress parameters in lead induced cardiotoxicity and amelioration of the same with CuLE.Rats were intraperitoneally injected with lead acetate (15mg/kg body weight), another group was pre-treated with CuLE (50 mg / kg, fed orally), the positive control group was fed CuLE (50 mg / kg), and the control animals received vehicle treatment i.p. for 7 consecutive days. Concentration of lead in cardiac tissue was quantified using AAS study. Histomorphological changes and alteration in tissue collagen level was studied through H-E staining and Sirius red staining respectively. Treatment of rats with lead acetate for seven consecutive days caused accumulation of lead in cardiac tissue, alterations of the biomarkers of organ damage and oxidative stress and caused injury to the cardiac tissue. There were alterations in the activities of the antioxidant as well as pro-oxidant enzymes and some of the enzymes of the Kreb’s cycle following lead acetate treatment. All these changes were ameliorated when the rats were pre-treated with CuLE at a dose of 50 mg / kg (fed orally) for a similar period of time. The observations indicate that CuLE has the potentiality to protect against lead induced oxidative stress mediated cardiotoxicity in rat possibly through its antioxidant activity and may have future therapeutic relevance in human exposed to lead environmentally or occupationally and in situations where chelation therapy has limited success.

Key words: Antioxidant, Lead acetate, Murraya koenigii, Oxidative stress, Cardiotoxicity.