ABSTRACT

Hexavalent Chromium is a wide spread environmental waste.lt is an industial contaminant with teratogenic,mutagenic,and carcinogenic effects on animals and humans.Chromium exposure induces hepatotoxicity associated with oxidative stress,tissue injury,mitochondrial damage,and apoptosis.Urtica dioca is a perennial plant that has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes.This study was carried out to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Urtica dioca on hepatotoxicity generated by hexavalent chromium in male wistar albino rats,The study was carried out on jO male adult rats,with body weight ranging from 160-180g.The rats were arranged into five groups as follows;Group 1 (control group),Group 2(600mg/kg urtica dioca alone),Group 3(20mg/kg chromium),Group 4(20mg/kg chromium +600mg/kg urtica dioca alone ),and Group 5(20mg/kg chromium +300mg/kg urtica dioca alone)The chemicals used were chromium as potassium dichromate(K2Cr2O?),which was dissolved in water to form a stock solution of 20mg/kg body weight. Urtica dioca was given in concentration of 300mg/kg body weight and 600mg/kg body weight as high and low doses respectively.The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after 21 day treatment.Under light microscopy,the haematoxin and eosin (H&E)stained section of liver of all the groups were seen.There was severe degeneration of the hepatocytes in the rats treated with high doses,while hepatocellular degeneration was mild in rats treated with low doses.Histopathological study confirmed the result.The high dose treatment group did not restore the elevated liver function as evidenced by elevated function of liver enzymes(AST and ALT).But at low dose treatment,liver function was restored as evidenced by reduced concentration of liver function biomarkers(AST and ALT) and increased levels of potassium and urea respectively.This study revealed that 300mg/kg extract of urtica dioca could be more hepatoprotective than 600mg/kg extracts of urtica dioca in chromium induced hepatotoxicity in male wistar albino rats.