Sub-Acute Toxicity Assessment of a Polyherbal Product “Combo” on Liver and Kidney Function Indices in Experimental Rats

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume VI, Issue VIII, August 2021|ISSN 2454-6194

Sub-Acute Toxicity Assessment of a Polyherbal Product “Combo” on Liver and Kidney Function Indices in Experimental Rats

Azeemat Titilola Abdulazeez¹, Akolade Jubril Olayinka² , Fatimah Aluko Abubakar³ and Balogun Basheer Ajibola^4
1Department of Biological Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria
²Biotechnology Advanced Research Centre, Sheda Science and Technology Complex, Abuja, Nigeria
³,⁴Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
¹Corresponding Author

Abstract— “Combo” is a standardized polyherbal drink prepared from five different medicinal plants. It is popularly used in Nigeria, mostly by women for reproductive and sexual dysfunction. Due to its widespread appeal to trying to conceive (TTC) patients and long-time abuse as an aphrodisiac, the effect of sub-acute administration of combo for 28 days on liver and kidney function indices in experimental rats was investigated. Serum biochemical indices and hematological parameters were determined and compared for significant variation with a reference group. In contrast to traditional belief among users, oral administration of Combo to rats once a day for 28 days at either 100, 200 or 300 mg/Kg bw did not lead to a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in body weight. There was little or no difference in all the studied biochemical parameters in comparison to the control except for slight variation at the highest dose level. There was also a significant increase in albumin concentration at all dose levels which can be linked to an increase availability of sex hormones. The study shows that the “Combo” extract has no significant adverse effect at the lower dose of 100 and 200 mg/Kg bw.

Keywords: Polyherbal, Medicinal, Sub-acute, “Combo”, Biochemical, Adverse effect

I. INTRODUCTION

Infertility is a condition in which a woman is unable to conceive after a year of unprotected ongoing sexual activity (Noh et al., 2020). Infertility is a global concern that affects both genders with more emphasis on the female gender (Bakhitiyar et al., 2019). Infertility affects 5-8 % of couple worldwide with higher rates in sub – Saharan African. In Nigeria, about 10 – 30 % of couples are affected (Mohammed-Durosinlorun et al., 2019). The causes of infertility vary according to geographical location and socio – economic condition (Deyhoul et al., 2017). Most times, infertile women in Nigeria resort to different forms of treatment such as faith based healing, orthodox and unorthodox therapies. The very high cost of orthodox fertility therapies and uncertainty of outcomes make most infertile Nigerian women to use unorthodox therapies (Turner, 2020). Herbal medicines are practiced with the use of naturally occurring plants with little or no modification for the treatment of diseases (Tilburt and Kaptchuk, 2008).Such plants are known as herbal drugs (Paal and Shukla, 2003).Humans over the years have used herbal drug for the treatment of their ailments because it is readily available in their immediate environment (Mishra et al., 2010)

Read More