CURATIVE EFFECTS OF GUM ARABIC AND BOSWELLIA SPECIES ON ACUTE RENAL FAILURE IN EXPERIMENTAL RATS

Acute renal failure (ARF) was induced by glycerol or paracetamol in experimental rats to evaluate the curative effects of gum Arabic and Boswellia sp. through different blood biochemical assays and hematological analyses. Results revealed presence of significant (P<0.05) increases in the levels of urea, creatinine, potassium (K + ), sodium (Na + ), chloride (Cl ) and blood acidity (H + ), and significant (P<0.05) decreases in the levels of calcium (Ca +2 ) and bicarbonate (HCO3 ) in the rats treated only with glycerol or paracetamol in the positive control groups compared to the negative control group. These results indicated that glycerol or paracetamol caused ARF in these groups of rats whereas the blood analyses illustrated ARF symptoms such as increasing of urea and creatinine, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, blood acidosis and anemia occurring in the positive control groups. The blood analyses also illustrated recovery of these symptoms in the treated rats with gum Arabic and Boswellia sp. in drinking water (10% w/v) for 30 days. This indicated the curative effects of gum Arabic and Boswellia sp. against ARF induced by glycerol or paracetamol as evidenced by restoring the kidney function tests such as urea, creatinine, blood electrolytes and other parameters like serum glucose, proteins and hematological indices to their normal values during the experiment period. The therapeutic effects of both plants against ARF may be due to their antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory activity. INTRODUCTION Acute renal failure (ARF) is characterized by a rapid, potentially reversible, decline in renal function including rapid fall in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and retention of nitrogenous waste products over a period of hours or days. The mortality rate of patients with ARF has remained 25–70% despite the use of various pharmacologic agents. Therefore, it continues to be a frequent threatening complication following trauma, complex surgical procedures, and in patients hospitalized in intensive care units (Lameire et al 2006). ARF increases the risk of death in patients after thoracoabdominal aortic surgery, bone marrow transplantation, amphotericin B therapy, in patients with liver cirrhosis and in cardiac surgery (Chertow et al 1998). Glycerol-induced ARF is characterized by myoglobinuria, tubular necrosis and enhanced renal vasoconstriction (Karam et al 1995). The pathogenic mechanisms involved in glycerol-induced renal failure include ischemic injury, tubular nephrotoxicity caused by myoglobin, and the renal actions of cytokines released after rhabdomylosis (Curry et al 1989). Rhabdomyolysis is the syndrome characterized by breakdown of striated muscle with massive release of myoglobin into the extracellular fluid and blood circulation leading to filtration of myoglobin to renal tubules. Rhabdomyolysis provokes acute tubular necrosis because myoglobin forms obstructing tubular casts and myoglobin also leads to intra-renal vasoconstriction. The large numbers of disorders known to cause rhabdomyolysis include intrinsic muscle dysfunction (including trauma, burns, intrinsic muscle disease, and excessive physical exertion), metabolic