Journal of Advances in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals found in the environment. This study aimed at combined effects of Moringa oleifera (Mo) oil and Cashew nut oil on cadmium-induced liver damage in wistar rats.

Thirty-five wistar rats of both sexes were randomly divided into seven groups of five rats each. Group A received 5ml of phosphate buffer single dose intraperitoneally (ITP); group B received 3.5 mg/kg  3CdSO_4.8H₂O ITP; group C received 100 mg/kg Vit C and 300mg/kg Vit E orally; group D received 100 mg/kg Vit C and 300 mg/kg Vit E orally and 3.5 mg/kg Cd ITP; group E received 3.5 mg/kg Cd and 40 mg/kg Mo seed oil orally; group F received 3.5 mg/kg Cd ITP and 40 mg/kg Cashew nut oil orally and group G received 3.5 mg/kg Cd ITP, Mo seed oil and Cashew nut oil 20 mg/kg each. At the end of the experiment liver was harvest, immersed in sucrose and homogenized for biochemical analysis. The supernatants obtained were used with appropriate salts for enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidate (GPx), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Catalase spectrophotomerically with the use of spectrophotometer.

This studies showed that Cadmium significantly increased the activities of the antioxidant defense system enzymesat p≤ 0.05 such as MDA, GPx and Catalase and reduced the activities of SOD at p≤ 0.05 when compared with the Group A control rats which thus suggests the generation of free radicals and the treated groups also significantly increased the activities of the antioxidant defense system enzymes such as MDA, GPx and Catalaseat p≤ 0.05 when compared with the control group. This suggests that both Moringa Oleifera oil and Cashew nut oil extracts helped to restore the activities of the antioxidant defense system.

These show ameliorative effect of Moringa oleifera seed oil and Cashew nut oil on Cadmium induced liver damage.