protective effect of aqueous fruit extract of mondia whitei against cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Introduction: mondia whitei (hook.f.) skeels is rich in antioxidant activity and is known for its nutritional and medicinal uses. this study evaluated the protective effect of m. whitei fruit against cadmium-induced hepatic damage in rats. methods: twenty-five albino (wistar strain) rats were randomly assigned into five equal groups. rats in group i served as control, rats in group ii were intoxicated with 5 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) cadmium chloride (cdcl2) for 5 days via an oral route, while groups iii, iv, and v were respectively administered with 5 mg/kg b.w. cdcl2 for 5 days co-treated with 70 mg/kg b.w silymarin, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w. of aqueous fruit extract of m. whitei (aemw) for 7 days. results: cadmium caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the concentration of cadmium in the liver as well as liver function markers such as alanine aminotransferase (alt), aspartate aminotransferase (ast), lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), and bilirubin. in addition, a significant (p < 0.05) elevation in the level of malondialdehyde (mda) and a reduction in the nitric oxide (no) and antioxidant status were noted in the cdcl2-exposed rats; hepatic degeneration and congested portal area were also noted. these changes were, however, reduced in the cadmium-intoxicated rats co-treated with silymarin, 250 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg aemw.conclusion: our result suggests that aemw exerts protective effects against cdcl2-induced hepatic damage in rats, and this might be due to the presence of phytochemicals in the plant capable of scavenging oxidative stress caused by cadmium.