Exploring kaempferol’s pharmacological potential in mitigating clinical biophysiological and pathological impacts of Naja haje venom on respiratory organ in animal model

Respiratory paralysis is one of the severe consequences of cobra envenoming, primarily resulting from the actions of the venom toxins on the respiratory organs. Kaempferol, a bioactive compound, has protective properties against venom-induced organ toxicities. However, kaempferol’s potential to mitigate venom-induced respiratory toxicity remained largely unexplored. Using the lung as the target organ in a rat model, the ameliorative potential of kaempferol was investigated against Naja haje (N. haje) venom-induced respiratory toxicity. In this study, N. haje venom induced oxidative stress in the lungs of envenomed untreated rats by significantly (p < 0.05) elevating the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite (NIT), while key antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), and antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), substantially decreased. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were significantly upregulated in the lungs of envenomed untreated rats. The observed inflammatory response was substantiated by severe pathohistological changes observed in the lung tissues. However, treatment of envenomed rats with varying doses of kaempferol significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the levels of stress biomarkers and substantially enhanced the antioxidant activities in the lungs of the envenomed treated rats. Additionally, kaempferol treatment effectively suppressed venom-induced inflammatory responses in the lungs of envenomed treated rats. The severe morphological damages noticed in the lung tissues of envenomed untreated rats were ameliorated post-kaempferol treatment. Results suggest that kaempferol possesses pharmacological potential to mitigate respiratory toxicity resulting from cobra envenoming.