Multi-Organ inducedtoxicity of metal mixture (CdCl, HgCl, Pb(NO)), and the ameliorative potentials of plantain (F. Musaceae) stem juice on male Wistar rats.

Industrialization and urbanization have caused a hike in all forms of emissions, many of which have detrimental effects on plants, animals, the environment, and worse still, humans. In a quest for novel products (household, and medical), manufacturing industries work tirelessly worldwide using metals to meet man's needs. However, such metals especially those confined to this research (Hg, Cd, and Pb) are inherently hazardous to not just the environment but human life and existence. Thirty (30) male Wistar rats divided into six groups of five rats each was used for the study. Stock solutions of the heavy metals were prepared and the required dose calculated according to individual weight and administered as such to group 2-5, plantain stem juice (PSJ) was administered to groups 3 to 5 in increasing dose after receiving the HMM (heavy metal mixture) while group six received medium-dose of PSJ used in the study only. Bodyweight of the rats was monitored once in three weeks while the feed and fluid intake were monitored thrice a week. At the end of the ninth week, the animals were weighed and sacrificed. Organs of interest (brain, heart, lungs, and thymus) were harvested and analyzed. Analysis done include Histopathology, hematological, biochemical, and organs/blood metal concentration. The results obtained showed a decline in the weight of animals that received metal mixture only when compared to normal control and PSJ treated groups. This could be traceable to the decline in feed intake of the metal-induced groups. However, no significant effect was observed in the histology of the Thymus and cerebellum even though the presence of a vacuole in the cerebral cortex indicated an anomaly. The histology of the heart and the lungs showed some level of distortion which was ameliorated dose-dependently with the administration of PSJ. Interestingly, after a decrease in the antioxidant level upon administration of metal mixture, a booster effect was observed with an increasing dose of PSJ. In conclusion, the recent findings have demonstrated that treatment with PSJ in HMM induced intoxication has a significant role in protecting the animals from all possible organ toxicity by modulating hemato-biochemical parameters and oxidative stress level.