Aristolochia longa (Aristolochiaceae) Spice Alleviates Nickel-Induced Oxidative Stress and Biochemical Alterations in Rats

The objective of this work is to study the protective effect of Aristolochia longa against the variation of biochemical parameters and oxidative stress in rats exposed sub acutely to nickel. This is an experimental study carried out in the laboratory on 15 female Wistar rats divided into three groups (n=5), the first group of which serves as a control, the second group is contaminated with nickel, the third group is contaminated with nickel and treated with A. longa. Biochemical and oxidative stress parameters were analyzed on the rats of the various. The aqueous extract of A. longa included a variety of bioactive components, including polyphenols, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides, and flavonoids, according to phytochemical screening results, and nickel treatment resulted in a considerable increase in serum Urea, Uric acid, creatinine and GOT, GPT activities. The results obtained also reveal a bioaccumulation of Ni and an oxidative stress in group contaminated with nickel, with an increase in the level of hepatic Ni and a significant augmentation in the Kidney MDA and decrease in the level of GSH and the activity of tissue SOD. Treatment with A. longa improves biochemical parameters and reduces tissue nickel levels, with protection of organs against oxidative radical attacks induced by nickel. In conclusion, this study shows that treatment with A. longa induces a beneficial effect against the toxicity of nickel at the molecular and tissue level.