Protective Effect of Orthosiphon Stamineus Leaves against Lead Acetate and Cadmium Chloride Induced Renal Dysfunction in Rats

Though our previous study has showed that pretreatment with Orthosiphon Stamineus methanol extract (OSM) prevents gentamycin induced nephrotoxicity. No report has been documented on the effect of Pretreatment of OSM with Cadmium and Lead. Therefore this study aims to investigating the effect of pretreatment with OSM on Cadmium and Lead induced Nephrotoxicity. Nephrotoxicity was induced in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administration of Lead Acetate 8mg/kg/day for 21 days and oral administration of Cadmium Chloride 50mg/kg for a single day. Effect of concurrent administration of Orthosiphon Stamineus leaf extract at a dose of 100mg/kg and 200 mg/kg/day given by oral route was determined using serum and urinary creatinine and blood urea and Uric acid as indicators of kidney damage. The present work demonstrates that Rat chronically intoxicated with two heavy metals display a pronounced impairment in kidney function which is confirmed by the enhancement of plasma creatinine, urea and uric acid levels, and histopathological alterations. The results of the present work showed that the cortex is more affected than the medulla due to long-term treatment with heavy metals. This could be partly due to uneven distribution of heavy metals in the tissue of the kidney where about 90% of the total renal blood flow enters the cortex via the bloodstream. Orthosiphon Stamineus Leaf extract 200mg/kg normalized the Cadmium Chloride and Lead Acetate induced increases in urine and plasma creatinine, and blood urea levels. It was observed that the Methanol extract of Orthosiphon Stamineus leaves 200mg/kg significantly protects rat kidneys from Cadmium Chloride and Lead Acetate –induced Nephrotoxicity. Orthosiphon Leaves has protective effect on lead and cadmium induced renal toxicity.