Protective role of Ipomoea aquatica Forsk. crude extract on rat tissues in the presence of acephate and carbofuran by histopathology and cytometric determination

Abstract

Ipomoea aquatica Forsk., commonly called water spinach ( ‘kalmi’ in Bengali) is an underexploited local green leafy vegetable having enormous scope as a cheap antioxidant source. The study explores the ameliorative effect of aqueous I. aquatica extract (IAE) in acephate and carbofuran treated Wistar male rats. Aqueous IAE (@ 20 mg/kg body wt.), administered to rats treated with organophosphate acephate (@ 30 mg/kg body wt.) and carbamate carbofuran (@ 0.1 mg /kg body wt.), attenuated the cholinesterase activity in brain, liver and cellular blood and reformed the histological perturbations in the brain cortex as well as the kidney anomalies, to a good extent. The IAE also upregulated the NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2) and MnSOD gene expression against pesticide toxicity. Hence, results of the present study intervenes into a new approach of justifying the deleterious side effects of pesticides that are commonly used, and how green leafy vegetables can help ameliorate those harmful effects.