Olusola S. SAKA, A. Omobola KOMOLAFE, Oludare OGUNLADE, A. Rotimi OWOLABİ, A. Ahmed OLAYODE, E. Babatunde ARAYOMBO

EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) ON THE LEFT VENTRICLE MYOCARDIUM OF HIGH SALT-FED ADULT WISTAR RATS

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum) on the morphology of myocardium of left ventricle in high salt-fed diet Wistar rats.Methods: Twenty-five female Wistar rats weighing 130–180 g were divided into five groups (n=5, each). Group A were fed with standard laboratory pellets, while Groups B, C, D and E were fed a high-salt diet for five weeks. Following this, daily administration of aqueous garlic extract was done orally to Groups C, D and E, respectively for 3 weeks. The left ventricle of the heart was excised, processed in paraffin wax and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome and Verhoeff-Van Gieson stains. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze data, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test for multiple comparisons.Results: We found that the relative change in heart weight in the high salt-fed group was lower, though not statistically significant (p=0.175) than the control group. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in plasma levels of sodium and potassium in Group B when compared with control, but this was dose-dependently reversed by aqueous garlic extract in Groups D and E. Histological and histochemical results revealed morphological alterations in the left ventricle of Group B which were also reversed in Groups D and E.Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that high salt diet-induced histochemical and histomorphological changes in the left ventricle of Wistar rats were significantly reversed by oral administration of garlic extract.

Keywords:

garlic, heart, high salt diet, ventricle,

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