The effect of aqueous leaf extracts of Pterocarpus mildbraedii on crude oil-induced toxicity in Albino rats

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the ameliorative potential of the aqueous leaf extracts of Pterocarpus mildbraedii against crude oil-induced toxicity in rats. The effects of co-administration of the P. mildbraedii leaf extract with diets contaminated with water-soluble fraction of crude oil on biochemical and chromosomal indices in albino rats were studied. Rats were fed with the crude oil-contaminated diets and administered the aqueous P. mildbraedii leaf extract at 100, 300, or 500 mg kg−1 bwt for 6 weeks. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) as well as the concentrations of total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, creatinine, and urea in the plasma of experimental rats were estimated. Bone marrow cells obtained from the femurs of the rats were scored for chromosomal aberrations. Results showed that the administration of the P. mildbraedii leaf extract restored the levels of the plasma enzymes, blood proteins, urea, and creatinine close to normal control levels, which were altered by the crude oil-contaminated diet, and the number of chromosomal aberrations were fewer in treated rats than in the untreated intoxicated rats.