Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) Enhances Kidney and Liver Functions in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Botanical drugs are complementary therapies in the management and treatment of clinical conditions. This study was aimed at investigating the possible changes in the structural and functional entities of two vital organs, the liver and kidney, following oral administration of the ethanolic leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus. Thirty-two wistar rats were used for this study and were randomly assigned into three treatments (n=24) and control (n=8) groups. The animals in the treatment groups A, B, and C respectively received 400mg, 300mg and 200mg per kilogram body weight of Madagascar periwinkle extract for twenty-one days, while the animals in the control group (group D) received equal amount of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The administration was done orally using an orogastric tube for twenty-one days (21d). Twenty-four hours after the last administration, all the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Laparatomy was performed and the liver and kidney excised, trimmed free of fat, rinsed in cold phosphate buffered saline solution. The liver was quickly fixed in 10% formolsaline, while the kidney was fixed in Bouin’s fluid for histological processing. Blood samples collected from the abdominal aorta and portions of the liver stored at -20°C in the refrigerator were used for the biochemical analysis of kidney metabolites and liver enzymes respectively. It was observed that the activities of the kidney metabolites and liver enzymes following the administration of the ethanolic extract of C. roseus were statistically reduced significantly in a dose dependence pattern in all the experimental groups when compared vis-à-vis the control group. The results obtained from this study suggest that the oral administration of the ethanolic extract of C.roseus has no compromising effect on the kidney and liver and may enhanced to a greater extent the functional features of the organs in Wistar rats.