Effects of Ethanolic Extracts of Fruits of Dennettia tripetala on Kidney Function of Male Albino Rats

This study examined the effects of ethanolic extracts of fruits of Dennettia tripetala on kidney function of healthy male albino rats. Dennettia tripetala is commonly also referred to as pepper fruit. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiarrheal characteristics are only a few of the fruit's many known therapeutic benefits. Fifty healthy adult male albino rats were utilized in this study and were randomly distributed into 5 groups of 10 animals each. The test animals were orally administered ethanolic extracts of fruits of D. tripetala (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) for twenty-one days and were sacrificed at the end of the 21 days. The result of kidney function biochemical parameters revealed that sodium increased significantly (p<0.05) in all the test groups, potassium increased significantly in all the test groups except in group 4 which showed no significant alteration, chloride was lowered in all the groups except in group 2 which increased significantly. Urea was lowered significantly in all the test groups; creatinine was significantly elevated in groups 4 and 5, while groups 2 and 3 showed no significant alteration. Photomicrograph of kidney section of normal control rat (group 1) showed normal glomerulus (G), Bowman’s capsule (Bc), Bowman’s space (Bs) and tubules (T) as well as group 2 and 3, while group 4 and 5 showed slightly shrunken glomerulus (SG) with increased Bowman’s capsular space (IBs) and dilated tubules (DT) within the tissue stroma. This study suggests that both the extracts may possess active ingredients that may aid in electrolyte homoeostasis while the unriped fruit extract contains some chemicals that may cause mild kidney toxicity when consumed for a long duration.