Fodem Chamberlin; Nguelefack Télesphore Benoît;
- La
Renal failure is a serious public health disease, with little treatment options. Cordyline fructicosa is an ornamental plant used in the treatment of renal diseases. This study sought to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of Cordyline fructicosa leaf aqueous extract against adenine-induced renal failure. Renal failure was induced in 3 to 4 months old male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of adenine (50 mg/kg/day) for 4 consecutive weeks. Captopril (20 mg/kg/day) or C. fruticosa was orally administered concomitantly with adenine at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored before and weekly after the beginning of the experiment by tail cuff plethysmography. Body weight was also recorded weekly. At the end of the experiment, the mortality rate was registered and urine creatinine, nitric oxide (NO), Na+ and K+ ions excretion were measured. Plasma creatinine was quantified and creatinine clearance was used at an estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Oxidative stress markers, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) was assessed in renal tissue homogenates. C. fruticosa at all doses used significantly (P < 0.05) prevented the rise in systolic blood pressure elicited by adenine. The mortality rate dropped from 50% in adenine group to 30% in extract group whatever the dose. Adenine induced a significant decrease in body weight (P < 0.001), increased urinary output and kidney mass (P <0.05), decreased urinary NO level, GFR (P < 0.05), CAT activity (P <0.001), SOD activity (P< 0.01) and GSH level with no effect of heart rate and urinary Na+ and K+ excretion. Administration of C. fruticosa failed to prevent these alterations. C. fruticosa leaf aqueous extract lacks nephroprotective properties but exhibited an antihypertensive effect that could account for its ability to reduce the mortality rate.
