Dose-Dependent Chemopreventive Effect of Methanol Extract of Carica papaya Seed on Potassium Bromate- Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Aim: To investigate the effect of Carica papaya seed extract on KBrO3 - induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Renal toxicity was induced by a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg body weight of KBrO3.

Study Design: Thirty (30) male albino rats were divided into six groups, five rats per group; normal control, KBrO3 control, papaya control and KBrO3 group administered with methanol seed extract of 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg body weight for 48 hours.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, from April 2018 to August 2018.

Methodology: Serum urea, creatinine, uric acid and electrolytes were determined using kits from randox laboratories. Furthermore, activities of renal brush border membrane marker enzymes namely γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), maltase (Mal) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and some parameters of oxidative stress including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined in homogenates prepared from renal cortex and medulla of the kidney of rats using colorimetric methods.

Results: Administration of KBrO3 significantly (P<0.05) increases the serum levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid and all electrolytes studied in a dose-dependent fashion from 200mg/kg to 400mg/kg and 600mg/kg in that order. Furthermore, the activities of GGT, ALP, Mal and LAP decrease in renal homogenates with KBrO3 administration. Also the activities of CAT, SOD, GPx and level of GSH decreases while the level of MDA significantly (P<0.05) increases however concurrent administration of Carica papaya seed extract prevented all the KBrO3- induced changes in the biochemical parameters studied .

Conclusion: It was suggested that methanol seed extract of Carica papaya possess nephroprotective effect against KBrO3 –induced renal toxicity and oxidative stress, and the most effective dose was 600 mg/kg body weight.