Vernonia amygdalina protects against doxorubicin-induced hepatic and renal damage in rats: mechanistic insights

Abstract

The use of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin is limited due to its potential to cause signifi-cant hepatorenal damage. The present study aimed to investigate the potential hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of Vernonia amygdalina, a medicinal plant with known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control, Doxorubicin (DOX), DOX + Vernonia Amyg-dalina (DOX+VA), and Vernonia amygdalina (VA) alone. DOX and DOX+VA groups were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin (15 mg/kg body weight). The DOX+VA group received Vernonia amygdalina extract (100, 300, 500 mg/kg body weight) by oral gavage for 14 days following doxorubicin injection. The results demonstrated that Vernonia amygdalina significantly reduced the elevated levels of liver and kidney function biomarkers, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and creatinine, induced by doxorubicin. The histological examination of the liver and kidney tis-sues also confirmed the protective effects of Vernonia amygdalina against doxorubicin-induced damage. Furthermore, Vernonia amygdalina treatment was found to mitigate oxidative stress by restoring the levels of glutathione (GPx), Catalase, NO and SOD and decreasing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver and kidney tissues. Additionally, Vernonia amygdalina sig-nificantly suppressed the renal injury markers, NGAL, cystatin-c, KIM-1, and NAG. In conclu-sion, the results of this study suggest that Vernonia amygdalina has potent hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in rats. These protective effects are mediated by its antioxidant, and free radical scavenging properties. Further investigation is needed to determine the potential clinical relevance of Vernonia amygdalina in protecting against the hepatorenal damage induced by doxorubicin in human subjects. Graphical abstract: