Ethanolic Extract From Hygrophila Auriculata (Schumach.) Heine Leaves Exhibited A Promising Protective Effect Against Drug-Induced Nephrotoxicity In Rodents

Abstract

Hygrophila auriculata (Schumach) Heine is a tropical herb from the Acanthaceae family. Owing to its traditional and folklore medicinal properties and in numerous preclinical investigations, this plant has been shown to have a variety of pharmacological effects. Firstly, the leaves were subjected to ethanol-based extraction, followed by preliminary phytochemical screening. After calculating the safe dose of EHAE extract using the acute oral toxicity OECD 420 guideline, it was revealed that at a maximum dose of EHAE of 2000 mg/kg BW and showing no signs of toxicity or mortality, the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg BW were chosen for the study. For each disease model, a group of six animals was allocated. Intriguingly, results from all three models indicated a significant and dose-dependent reduction of serum biomarkers upon EHAE administration. Further in vitro antioxidant activity was also carried out for the extract. The results showed a significant elevation of antioxidant markers at both doses, showing strong antioxidant activity. The present investigation identified that EHAE extract exhibited a promising protective effect against drug-induced nephrotoxicity in rodents. In this line, our current effort is a preliminary one to investigate the leaves of this herb against nephrotoxicity using albino Wister rats in different drug-induced animal models such as cisplatin, gentamycin, and paracetamol.