Clinical chemistry and haematological assessment of quail egg-pretreated acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Abstract

This study investigated the possible hepatoprotective effect of quail egg solution on acetaminophen intoxicated rats. Thirty adult rats of mixed sexes were assigned into five groups of six per group. The rats in groups 2, 3, and 4 were pretreated with 30, 15, 7.5 mg/ml ad lib respectively of quail egg solution for 7 days before intoxication with 2000 mg/kg acetaminophen. Rats in group 5 were not pretreated but intoxicated with 2000 mg/kg acetaminophen (negative control) while the group 1 rats were neither pretreated nor intoxicated and served as positive control. Fourty eight hours post induction, blood for some biochemical and haematological analysis was collected and the remaining rats treated until 14th day when the rats were humanely sacrificed and vital organs (liver and kidney) collected for histopathology. The results showed that the ALT activity of 30 mg/ml pretreated rats were significantly (p<0.05) lower than those of the negative control rats. Significant (p<0.05) increases were seen in the RBC, WBC, PCV and Hb levels of quail egg pretreated rats when compared with the negative control. However no significant (p>0.05) changes were seen in AST activity, MCHC and MCH levels of both the test groups and the controls. Histomorphometry examination revealed less severe vacuolar degenerative changes in the liver of 30 mg/ml pretreated rats when compared to the rats of other intoxicated groups. It was concluded that quail egg at the concentration of 30 mg/ml ameliorated hepatotoxicity and improved haematologic indices of acetaminophen-induced toxicity in rats.

Keywords: Acetaminophen, Hepatotoxicity, Quail egg, Hematology, Histopathology, Liver enzymes