The present study examined the hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of morphine
and illicit street heroin and their amelioration by a standardized methanolic
extract of Bacopa monnieri (L.) (mBME) in rats. Morphine or street heroin was
administered at a dose of 20 mg/kg for 14 and 21 days. mBME (40 mg/kg) or
ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg) was administered two hours before morphine or street
heroin. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the
standardization of bacoside-A major components in mBME. The antioxidant
potential of mBME was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)
free radical scavenging assay. Administration of morphine and street heroin
resulted in marked elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate
aminotransferase (AST) and creatinine. Histopathological changes induced by
morphine and street heroin after 14 days were of reversible nature while
treatment for 21 days was associated with irreversible changes. Pretreatment
with mBME or ascorbic acid restored the elevation of serum ALT, AST and
creatinine and protected liver and kidneys from the toxicological influence of
morphine and street heroin. HPLC analysis showed that mBME contained
bacoside-A major components i.e. bacoside-A3 (37.5 μg/mg), bacopaside-II
Received:
29 May 2015
Revised:
5 December 2015
Accepted:
20 January 2016
Heliyon (2016) e00068
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2016.e00068
2405-8440/© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
(4.62 μg/mg) and bacopasaponin-C (1.91 μg/mg). The EC50 for the DPPH free
radical scavenging assay revealed that mBME possessed strong antioxidant
potential. These results concluded that as compared to morphine, street heroin
was associated with severe biochemical and histopathological changes in the
liver and kidneys. Bacopa monnieri having strong antioxidant potential may
provide a beneficial herbal remedy for the efficient management of opioid
related hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.
Keywords: Pharmacotherapy, Biochemical pharmacology, Toxicology,
Systemic pharmacology, Environmental toxicology, Substance management