Appraisal Role of Watery and Acetonic Leaves Extract of Moringa oleifera Growing in Egypt against Cd-induced Toxicity in Male Albino Rats

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that negatively affects various organs of the organism, especially the liver and kidneys. Using plant species to reduce the harmful effects of heavy metals has gained popularity, due to its low cost in parallel with fewer side effects than the physical and chemical methods. Here, we evaluate the role of Moringa oleifera (M.O) leaf extracts (aqueous and acetone) at two different doses (300 and 600 mg/Kg b.wt) from each extract against cadmium toxicity. Thirty male albino rats (190±10g) were divided into six groups and treated for 30 days. Group 1: control, Group 2: treated by Cd alone (5.4 mg/Kg b.w/day), Group 3 and 4: received M.O aqueous extract at 300 and 600 mg/Kg b.w/day respectively in parallel with Cd as in group 2, Group 5 and 6 received M.O acetonic extract at 300 and 600 mg/Kg b.w/day respectively in parallel with Cd as in group 2. In comparison with the control group, cadmium treatment showed a significant increase (P≤0.05) in the levels of liver, renal biomarkers, and oxidative stress parameters, but showed a significant decrease in the antioxidant indices. In contrast, groups treated with aqueous and acetones’ M.O extract in parallel with cadmium, showed a significant reduction in the previously mentioned parameters except for antioxidant indices which recorded significant (P≤0.05) elevation. The result revealed that M.O leaf extracts successfully improved the undesirable effects of cadmium and restored almost all variables to near their control levels and using Moringa leaf extracts as natural supplementary besides their health benefits can protect against toxicity caused by cadmium.