Amelioration of Rhabdomyolysis-Induced Myoglobinuric Acute Renal Failure by Citrullus lanatus Seeds

Abstract

Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) (Cucerbitaceae) is a trailing annual herb native to India, Nigeria, and Africa, commonly known as Matsum and Nakai. It thrives in all tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas with hot summers. In India, seeds have long been used to treat hypotensive and diuretic effects, as well as kidney stones and urinary passages. This study looked at the effects of a methanol extract of C. lanatus seeds (MCL) on rhabdomyolysis-induced myoglobinuric acute renal failure (ARF) in Wistar rats. Five groups (n = 5) of male Albino Wistar rats weighing 150–200 g were formed. A single intramuscular injection of glycerol (GL) (8 ml/kg) was used to induce ARF. Following GL injection, all animals were sacrificed and blood was collected. Renal function tests utilizing blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were performed on freshly separated serum. The right kidney was stored in 10% buffered formalin for histological sectioning, and the amount of lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and reduced glutathione (GSH) activity were all measured. The data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and Dunnett’s test. *P > 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Animals pre-treated with MCL (100 and 300 mg kg-1, p.o.) for 7 days before GL dramatically altered and restored serum creatinine, BUN, creatinine clearance, urea clearance, and renal morphology in comparison to the GL-treated group. Oxidative stress markers such as lipid peroxidation, SOD, CAT, and GSH were also dramatically improved. The findings of this study suggest that C. lanatus seed has a possible anti-GL-induced ARF effect, verifying its ethnomedicinal use.