EFFECT OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS ON HYPERURICEMIA IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

Abstract

Hyperuricemia (elevated serum levels of uric acid) is a key risk factor for the development of gout, and has been linked to renal dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.Hyperuricemia was induced by oxonic acid or adeninein experimental rats to evaluate the protective and curative effects of alcoholic extracts from fig leaves, parsley shoots and celery seeds.The rats were randomly divided into 12 groups (n = 5) in two different experiments (protective and curative). The protective experiment included six groups, and the first one served as a normal control group. Before induction of hyperuricemia, three groups of rats were given various plant extracts (celery, parsley or fig) by oral administration using a stomach tube at a dose of 250 mg/kg. A positive control group of rats was administerate orally the hypouricemic drug, allopurinol at a dose of 100 mg/kg. A negative control group did not receive any plant extracts or drugs then it was affected with hyperuricemia. The various plant extracts and the drug were adminesterated for the rats every day for 9 days. On the 10th day, all groups except the normal control received a single dose of oxonic acid (250 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection to induce hyperuricemia. After two hours of hyperuricemia induction by oxonic acid injection, blood samples were collected from all rat groups. The curative experiment included six groups, and the first one was fed on a basal diet, and served as a normal control group. Other groups were fed on the basal diet containing adenine (0.5%) for 10 days to induce hyperuricemia. Serum uric acid of these rat groups was determined to confirm the induction of hyperuricemia. One group of hyperuricemic rats did not receive any plant extracts or drugs, and served as a negative