The Preventive Effects of Avocado Fruit and Seed Extracts on Cardio-nephrotoxicity Induced by Diethylnitrosamine/2-acetylaminoflurine in Wistar Rats

The current study was designed to evaluate the possible preventive effects of avocado (Persea americana) fruit and seed hydroethanolic extracts on diethylnitrosamine/2-acetylaminoflurine (DEN/2AAF)-induced cardio-nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats. The Wistar rats used in this study were allocated into 4 groups. Group I was kept as a normal group, while the other 3 groups were administered a twice intraperitoneal dose (150 mg/kg bw./week) of DEN, followed by daily 2AAF-administration by oral gavage four days per week for three weeks. Group II was DEN/2AAF-administered control group and groups III and IV were administered DEN/2AAF and were orally given avocado fruit and seed hydroethanolic extract for 20 weeks. DEN/2AAF-administration induced kidney and heart injury evidenced by histological alterations as well as significant increase of serum indicators of impaired kidney function including creatinine, urea and uric acid levels and serum marker of impaired heart function including CK, CK-MB, LDH and AST activities. On the other hand, the renal and cardiac lipid peroxidation was elevated while renal and cardiac glutathione content and activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase were significantly declined as a result of DEN/2AAF-administrations. Concomitant supplementation with avocado fruit and seed hydroethanolic extract potentially prevented DEN/2AAF-induced biochemical and histopathological deleterious alterations. In conclusion, the results suggest that avocado fruit and seed hydroethanolic extracts successfully have ameliorative effects against DEN/2AAF-induced cardio-nephrotoxicity via the enhancement of the antioxidant defense system and suppression of the inflammatory action.