ABSTRACT

Phyllanthus niruri also known as stone breaker is a medicinal plant and is used as a remedy for kidney diseases and infections. However, it is speculated to have some toxic effects such as renal tubular damage. The Aim of this study was to investigate the histopathological effects of chronic administration of the herb on kidneys of adult Albino rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups of three rats each, with an average body weight of 165g. The group 2, 3, 4 were all administered aqueous extract of Phyllanthus niruri leave at different doses while the group 1 being the control group was given distilled water. It was administered for 14 days through the orogastric tube. All rats were fed with grower’s mash and given water liberally. At the end of the experiment, all animals from each group were anesthetized with chloroform and sacrificed by fenestration 24 hours after the last day of administration. Using a sterile surgical blade, the kidneys were removed from all experimental groups, including the control group and quickly fixed in 10% formalin for histological study. The observations indicated that there was no statistically significant difference across all groups and that rats in their various groups showed no varying degree of distortion and disruption in the histology of the kidney including interstitial edema and tubular necrosis, when compared to the control section. This report provides further evidence that medicinal use of Phyllanthus niruri has no potential adverse effect. This warrants further studies to establish or rule out any untoward side-effect of chronic renal dysfunctions.