Effects of garden egg, carrot and oat-supplements on biochemical parameters in cadmium exposed rats

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity is influenced by dietary components, such as fiber and minerals. Garden egg, carrot and oat are rich sources of fiber. Thus, this study examines the effect of Solanum melongena (garden egg), Daucus carota (carrot) and oat-supplements on selected biochemical parameters in the plasma and tissues of cadmium-exposed rats. Twenty-five healthy male Wistar rats (140±50 g) were distributed into five treatment groups in which rats in group one were not exposed to cadmium, and served as control while rats in group two were exposed to cadmium only in addition to their normal diet. Cadmium was administered by gastric intubation at a dose of 5 mg Cd/kg body weight as CdCl2. H2O was given three times a week for six weeks. Rats in Groups 3 to 5 were treated similarly with cadmium, but with their normal diet supplemented with 5% garden egg, carrot and oat, respectively. A significant (P<0.05) increase was observed in alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity in the plasma/kidney of rats exposed to Cd, while a significant (P<0.05) decrease was observed in liver ALT/AST activity. Likewise, the levels of liver, kidney and intestine alkaline phosphatase (ALP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lipid peroxidation were increased compared to the control. Conversely, feeding with garden egg, carrot and oat significantly (P<0.05) reversed these effects of cadmium, compared to rats maintained on cadmium only. The results suggest that garden egg, carrot and oat contain bioactive/antioxidant properties which help in ameliorating cadmium toxicity.     Key words: Cadmium, lipid peroxidation, dietary fiber, carrot.