Antihypercholesterolemic, antioxidant and renal protective effects of Mengkudu (Rubiaceae) fruit in nephropathy-induced albino rats.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the modulatory impact of alcoholic extract of fruit of Mengkudu (AEFM, Morinda citrifolia L., Rubiaceae) on renal oxido-lipidemic stress in hypercholesterolemic albino rats.

METHODS

Twenty-four male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups with six rats in each group: group I as control, group II fed with hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD) for 45 days (4% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid), Group III rats fed with HCD for 45 days + AEFM (300 mg/kg body weight/day orally) for last 30 days and group IV normal rats fed AEFM alone. The blood was collected using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an anticoagulant for various biochemical analysis, and excision of kidney was done for histological analysis.

RESULTS

The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), phospholipids (PLs), renal functional parameters and lipid peroxidation products were markedly mitigated in AEFM treated hypercholesterolemic rats (group III) compared to group I (P<0.01). Activities of both enzymic and non-enzymic free radical scavenging factors were significantly increased in group III compared to group I (P<0.01). In group III the mRNA levels of interstitial endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) genes were obviously up-regulated (P<0.01) and down-regulated in (P<0.05) compared with group I. Histomorphological observations also exhibited similar as in group III AEFM commendably protects the renal tissues compared with group I (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

AEFM can act as nephroprotective agent by attenuating the renal oxidative stress, lipid levels as well as regulating NOS level and by this means protects the kidney in hypercholesterolemic induced nephropathy experimental rats.