Sub-acute oral toxicity study of aqueous extract of tobacco leaves (Nicotiana tabacum L.) on lipid profile, the tissue, and serum of the liver and kidney of male Wistar rats

Abstract

Context

Tobacco consumption may pose a very serious threat to the physiological state of the body; yet, fewer records have been documented in that regard.

Objective

We investigated the impact of aqueous extract of tobacco leaves on the lipid profile, the tissue, and serum levels of the liver and kidney of male Wister rats.

Materials and methods

Rats (n = 52; weight = 33 − 47 g; ∼ 2½ weeks old) were acclimatised for 7 days and administered aqueous extract of tobacco leaves at 100, 200, 400, 0 mg/kg of body weight (to group A, B, C, D) for 30 days.

Results

Compared with the control group, the kidney tissue and serum (i.e., urea and creatinine) were not influenced, in contrast, indices of the liver such as AST, ALT, and ALP, dose-dependently increased. Changes such as coagulative necrosis resulted in the infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells and the vacuolar degeneration of the liver. Beside the reduction in the high-density lipoprotein of the rats, there was an increase in the concentration of triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and the total cholesterol.

Conclusion

Thus, extract of tobacco leaves can greatly influence the body lipid profile, beside the serum and tissues of the liver.

Keywords:

• Biochemical analyses
• the aqueous extract of tobacco leaves
• histopathology test
• kidney
• liver
• serum
• sub-acute oral toxicity study
• lipid profile

Acknowledgments

The study was supported with facilities from the Department of Pharmacology and the Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology University of Nigeria, Nsukka. We also thank the following people for their help with various aspects of this project: Joseph Effiong Eyo, Ike Nelson Ossai, Abinya Sunday, and Chinedu Ifeanyi Atama.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The fieldwork and laboratory analyses were fully funded by the authors.