ABSTRACT
Bambusa arundinacea (RETZ.) Willd. is distributed in tropical regions of Pakistan, India, and China. It has been used for a long time as a folk remedy for cirrhosis, urinary tract ailments, and various other abdominal cavity disorders. It has antioxidant, free-radical-scavenging, and anti-inflammatory effects. The aims and objectives of this study were to validate the folkloric uses of Bambusa arundinacea and to evaluate its nephroprotective potential on scientific grounds. Gentamycin (G.M, 40 mg/kg) was used to induce nephrotoxicity in the animal model. Two doses of the methanolic extract of Bambusa arundinacea (MEBA; 300 and 500 mg/kg) were utilized in addition to silymarin (200 mg/kg/d). Treatments were administered once daily for 14 days. After 14 days, the blood was collected and the kidneys were removed. The antioxidant potential of the standardized MEBA was evaluated using the total phenolic content, the total flavonoid content, and the DPPH scavenging activity. The plant extract was rich with flavonoid content. The DPPH scavenging activity was 65% as compared to butylated hydroxy toluene (96%), with IC50 values 31.65 and 7.80 µg/mL, respectively. The phytochemical analysis was performed using HPLC, and MEBA was found to contain various phytoconstituents such as quercetin, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and cinnamic acid. Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase were assayed, and MEBA exhibited significantly improved CAT and SOD levels. The levels of renal function markers such as serum creatinine, serum urea, blood urea nitrogen, serum urea, and serum uric acid levels also evaluated, and a significant retrieval was found in a dose-dependent fashion. Good improvement was also made in various hematological parameters. Statistical analysis was done using analysis of variance to determine the significance of differences among the data. In conclusion, the standardized methanolic extract of Bambusa arundinacea was able to alleviate gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by enhancing the antioxidant defensive mechanisms of renal tubular cells.
