Carnosine protection against cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity in male albino rats: a biochemical and histological study

Cadmium in a dose of 3 mg/kg body weight was administered subcutaneously for a total period of 14 weeks in male albino rats. This resulted in a significant decrease in rats' terminal body weights; but renal function tests, including serum levels of urea, creatinine and uric acid, showed a marked significant increase. Furthermore, both blood cadmium and kidney cadmium concentrations showed a significant increase in cadmium-treated animals. Carnosine when supplemented orally in a dose of 0.15 mg/kg body weight concurrently with cadmium administration showed an improvement in both body weight gain and renal biochemical function as well as morphological architecture, but still below the initial control values. In contrast, body weights as well as renal function and morphology were corrected and became near the control values. In contrast, body weights as well as renal function and morphology were corrected and become near the control values on increasing the dose of carnosine to 0.3 mg/kg. Furthermore, the level of cadmium in either blood or kidney tissue of animals received cadmium simultaneously with carnosine was also significantly lower than in those animals received cadmium alone

Amelioration by nigella sativa [L.] of Methotrexate-induced toxicity in male albino rats: a biochemical, haematological and histological study

Methotrexate was administered to male albino rats in an interrupted treatment regimen comparable with proposed human clinical treatment. Animals were dosed orally with methotrexate with/without black seed oil daily for five consecutive days, followed by seven-days recovery period and the cycle of dosing and recovery was repeated for a total of four cycles. Changes in body weight [hepatic, renal and testicular functions] and hematopoietic system [erythrocytes, leucocytes, platelets and hemoglobin] as well as hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, testicular and brain morphology were all used as parameters to assess methotrexate toxicity. The results indicated that treatment by methotrexate alone resulted in a significant decrease in hemopoietic parameters and marked alterations in morphological changes of liver, kidney, testis and intestine. On the other hand, concomitant treatment with methotrexate and black seed oil resulted in a reversibility of methotrexate depression of animal body weights as well as organ functions and morphology