Adansonia digitata ameliorates lead-induced hepatic, renal, and bone toxicity in mice

Adansonia digitata (A. digitata) is used in many African and Asian countries for food, beverage and medicine. Lead is one of the toxic heavy metals whose widespread use has resulted in continuous environmental contamination. The current study evaluated the effect of lead acetate on mice's liver, kidney, and bone tissues and the protective role of A. digitata fruit pulp. Twenty-five mice were distributed into five groups, each having five mice. The groups received distilled water, 50 mg/kg lead acetate, A. digitata methanolic fruit extract (ADMFE) at 250 mg/kg plus lead acetate, 500 mg/kg ADMFE plus lead acetate, and 50 mg/kg Succimer plus lead acetate, respectively, for four weeks. All the mice were euthanized thereafter, and the right kidneys, liver, and bone were processed for light microscopy. The left kidneys, part of the liver, and bone were dried and assayed for lead concentration using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The lead concentration in the kidney of mice pre-treated with 500 mg/kg ADMFE and succimer was significantly lower (p

Key Words: Adansonia digitata, hepatocytes, hematopoietic cells, hemorrhage, renal tubules