Histological Studies Of The Teratogenic Effects Of Oral Administration Of Aspilia Africana (Asteraceae) Leaf Extract On The Developing Liver Of Neonatal Wistar Rats

Abstract

Histological studies of the teratogenic effects of oral administration of extract of Aspilia africana, used in ethno medical practice in Africa for the management of various ailments, on the developing kidneys of pregnant matured female Wistar rats were studied. The rats (n=24), average weight of 180g were randomly assigned into two treatment (n=16) and a control (n=8) group. The rats in the treatment groups received 0.5g/kg and 1g/kg of aqueous extract of Aspilia africana orally through orogastric tube in the first seven days of gestation, while the control rats received equal volume of distilled water without the extract of Aspilia added. The rats were fed with growers' mash and were given water liberally. After parturition, the kidney sections were obtained from the pups or neonates and processed for routine histological investigation. Histological changes observed in the kidney sections revealed loss of renal corpuscle and varying degree of cyto-architectural distortion of the cortical structures, with degenerative and atrophic changes. This suggests the direct cytotoxic action of aqueous extract of Aspilia africana resulting from placental transfer during pregnancy to the neonates. This study highlights the possible abnormalities that could result in a newborn when a pregnant animal is exposed to an aqueous extract of Aspilia africana during the seven days of gestation. The results of this experiment suggest that the functions of the kidney could also have been affected as a result of the massive cyto-archictectural distortion. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be conducted.