Antioxidant and therapeutic potentials of Abelmoschus esculentus water extract against potassium bromate intoxication
Eze-Steven Peter E1*, Okpara Lilian O1 and Aloh Godwin S2.
1Leiomyoma and Nutrigenomics Research Unit, Applied Biochemistry Department, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu State, Nigeria.
2Biochemistry Department, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author email address: peter.ezesteven@esut.edu.ng
ABSTRACT
Potassium Bromate (KBrO3) is a known environmental toxin that poses significant health risks, including oxidative stress. Abelmoschus Esculentus (Okra) is a commonly used fruit in sub-Sahara Africa. This study investigated the protective and therapeutic effects of A. esculentus leaf extract on bromate-induced toxicity in albino rats. Thirty (30) adult Wistar male albino rats were divided into six (6) groups of five rats each. Group 1 served as the normal control, while Group 2 was the negative control, receiving 50 mg/kg of KBrO3. Group 3 was treated with 100 mg/kg of Vitamin C plus 50 mg/kg of KBrO3. Groups 4, 5, and 6 received Okra leaf extract at doses of 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 800 mg/kg, respectively, along with 50 mg/kg of KBrO3. All treatments were administered orally over a 28-day period. Body weights were recorded at the beginning and end of the study. Post-treatment, rats were euthanized using standard method with blood samples collected for biochemical analyses. Results indicate that the scavenging effects of the leaf extract on DPPH radicals are dose-dependent. Similarly, ascorbic acid exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of DPPH radical. However, the effect of ascorbic acid was significantly higher compared to the leaf extract of Abelmoschus esculentus. The ferric-reducing antioxidant power of ascorbic acid was significantly lower when compared to leaf extract of Abelmoschus esculentus suggesting that the leaf extract of Abelmoschus esculentus displayed a concentration-dependent ferric-reducing ability that was significant when compared to the standard ascorbic acid used. Results further indicate that treatment with Abelmoschus esculentus significantly increased the levels of GSH (5.49±0.14, 5.91±0.07, 6.24±0.28mg/mg protein), GPx (21.56±1.46, 23.47±0.61, 24.07±0.75u/mg protein), and SOD (31.43±1.54, 33.93±1.40, 36.30±0.46u/mg protein) in a dose-dependent manner compared with the Potassium Bromate-induced toxicity only group. Therefore, A. esculentus leaf extract significantly mitigates the adverse effects of bromate-induced toxicity.
Keywords: Antioxidants, Oxidative stress, Abelmoschus esculentus, Potassium bromate, Wistar rats.
CITE AS: Eze-Steven Peter E, Okpara Lilian O and Aloh Godwin S. (2025). Antioxidant and therapeutic potentials of Abelmoschus esculentus water extract against potassium bromate intoxication. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES 6(2): 66-73. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJBAS/2025/6.2.667300