Effect of aqueous extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa calyces against alloxan-induced kidney damage in adult female Wistar rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder that is both capable of disrupting metabolism and causing severe long-term complications, diabetic nephropathy being an example. The potential of the Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces aqueous extract against alloxan-induced kidney damage in adult Wistar rats (female) was evaluated in this study. Ten of the rats (80 –150 g) were group into five. Group I, the normal control received distilled water only. Groups II–V were induced with diabetes via a single administration of alloxan monohydrate (200 mg/kg) intraperitoneally to induce type 1 diabetes mellitus. While group II remained an untreated, groups III and IV were treated with 200 and 500 mg/kg aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces respectively, and Group V, metformin (150 mg/kg) for seven days. The kidney tissues were harvested for histological examination and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin following euthanasia. The result of the diabetic control (Group II) revealed renal impairment, glomerular enlargement, narrowed bowman’s space, and tubular distortion. Group III (200 mg/kg aqueous extract) showed persistent damage and glomerular necrosis. Conversely, Group IV (500 mg/kg aqueous extract) demonstrated remarkable recovery, with the renal architecture with the glomeruli and bowman’s capsules appearing normal, similar to the control and metformin groups indicating that Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces possess protective properties in the kidney. The structural renal damage caused by diabetes was effectively mitigated at 500 mg/kg of the aqueous extract, showing possible efficacy comparable to metformin. This suggests that H. sabdariffa is a promising therapeutic agent, able to manage complications in diabetic kidney.