HISTOMORPHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE KIDNEY FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF NEEM LEAF ON ADULT MALE WISTAR RATS
Nweke E.O, Elemuo C. O, & Nweke T.M
Department of Anatomy
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Uli, Anambra State
Email: stanleyelemuo@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The plant, Azadirachtaindica, is a native of Asia but has now naturalized in West Africa and is widely cultivated in Nigeria as an ornamental as well as medicinal plant. The plant is used extensively in Nigeria for the traditional treatment of malaria and other associated conditions in the form of decoction, in which unspecified quantities are usually consumed without due regards to toxicological and other adverse effects. In the present study an attempt was made to investigate the histological and biochemical effects of aqueous extract of the leaves of neem (Azadirachtaindica) on the kidney of adult wistar rats for the period of 21 days. 16 animals weighing 100-163g were used and grouped into 4 groups of four (4) rats each. Group 1 served as the control and was fed with diet and tap water. Group 2, 3, 4 were the test groups and received 200mg/kg, 300mg/kg and 400mg/kg body weight of aqueous extract of neem leaf respectively. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and their kidneys excised. The organ was processed for the normal hematoxylin and eosin staining. Histological examination of the kidneys of the test groups 2 and 3 revealed no distortion of the cytoarchitecture, but the group 4 revealed necrosis and decrease in the numbers of glomeruli. However, the control group revealed normal histological features of the kidney. It could therefore be suggested that large dose consumption of the leaves of Aazadirachtaindica (Neem) for long term should be avoided as it may cause malformation of some vital organs, like the kidney.
Keyword: Neem leaf, kidney, necrosis, wistar rats
