Osime EC and Agbaje IP
The impact of crude oil spills on food safety is increasingly concerning due to associated health issues. In Nigeria, rural areas, which are major sites of crude oil exploration, produce most of the food crops. This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of crude oil-contaminated Mangifera indica stem bark on adult female Wistar albino rats. One hundred and twenty-five rats were divided into three groups: control, aqueous, and ethanol extract groups, with each extract group further divided into crude oil-free and contaminated sub-groups. The sub-groups were administered doses of 85 mg/kg, 170 mg/kg, 255 mg/kg, 340 mg/kg, 425 mg/kg, and 510 mg/kg. After 12 weeks of treatment, the rats were euthanized, and blood samples were analyzed for renal function markers such as creatinine and urea levels. Results indicated that crude oil-contaminated extracts significantly (p<0.05) elevated the concentrations of these renal biomarkers compared to both control and crude oil-free extract groups (p>0.05), with the ethanolic extract showing the most significant (p<0.05) increase. This suggests that the extracts of crude oil-contaminated Mangifera indica stem bark may have nephrotoxic effects, as elevated serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels are indicative of renal failure.
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