ABSTRACT

Parkia biglobosa, commonly known as the African locust bean tree, is a popular soup ingredient used in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. Parkia biglobosa has been shown to possess various medicinal properties. Aspirin is a common over-the-counter medication that is often used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and lower fever. The use of aspirin has been linked to various side effects such as organ damage. Hence, this study was carried out to examine the renoprotective effects of Parkia biglobosa seedfollowing aspirin-induced kidney injury in male Wistar rats. Plant material was identified and authenticated and then prepared by drying in a Labtech oven for three days, pulverizing to form a fine powder, extracted using a Soxhlet extractor and freeze drying. Thirty male Wistar rats with an average weight of 136-240g were used for this study. The rats were grouped into 6 groups: Rats in group 1 served as control, group 2 served as positive control and were administered Parkia biglobosa extract at a dose of 1000mg/kg b.w. only, group 3 animals were the negative control and were administered aspirin at a dose of 20mg/kg b.w., group 4 animals were administered 1000mg/kg b.w. of P. biglobosa extract and 20mg/kg of aspirin simultaneously, group 5 animals received 1200mg/kg b.w. of P.biglobosa extract for one week and were administered 20mg/kg of aspirin the next week and group 6

animals were administered 20mg/kg of aspirin for one week, then, 1500mg/kg b.w. of Parkia biglobosa extract for another week. The experiment lasted for 14 days, after which, the animals were sacrificed using chloroform, a mild anesthetic. The animals were incised from the chest wall to the stomach. 5ml of blood was collected by cardiac puncture of each rat and dispensed into plain containers for kidney function tests. The kidneys of the experimental rats were removed, rinsed in normal saline and then fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histopathological investigations. From the results of this study, rats administered with various doses of the extract (1000, 1200 and 1500mg/kg) were observed not to show significant difference in body weight in relation to the control animals. A significant decrease in the kidney weight of rats in group II was observed when compared with the control group. This significant variation in kidney weight was not observed in the other groups when compared with the control group. Histopathology showed that aspirin caused varying degrees of injury in the kidneys of group III, IV and V rats. The other results are consistent with the normal histology of the kidney. From the results of this study, it can conclusively be drawn that Parkia biglobosa seed extract is relatively safe for consumption without causing kidney toxicity.This study also revealed that Parkia biglobosa has ameliorative properties as it can reverse kidney toxicity infused by aspirin. Further research should be conducted to understand the renoprotective effects of Parkia biglobosa on aspirin-induced kidney injury.