Methanolic leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina mitigates cadmium-induced oxidative stress in the liver and kidney of adult male Wistar rats

Cadmium is a hazardous metal swiftly generated through industrialization and persists in the environment due to its non-biodegradability. Cadmium induces liver and kidney damage primarily by triggering free radical production causing oxidative stress. This study explored the potential of methanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina in ameliorating cadmium-induced oxidative stress. Twenty adult male Wistar rats were used for this experiment, with each group consisting of five rats. The first group was the unexposed control group given standard rat chow and distilled water ad libitum while the test groups (II-IV) were orally administered with cadmium at standard doses of 12 mg/kg/BW. Vernonia amygdalina at standard doses of 100 mg/kg/BW and 200 mg/kg/BW was administered to rats in groups III and IV respectively. After 28 days, the rats were euthanized using cervical dislocation and the livers and kidneys were analyzed for histological and mRNA analysis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). The results showed significant pathological changes in the histoarchitecture of the livers and kidneys, indicating oxidative stress and the effectiveness of Vernonia amygdalina, which mitigated cadmium-induced oxidative damage by modulating TNF-α and IL-10 expression and ameliorating the histological alteration seen in the studied organs.