The Ameliorative Effect of Ginkgo biloba Supplement on Cyclosporine- A Induced Renal Toxicity in Male Wistar Rat

Ginkgo biloba supplement is a flavonoid-rich herbal supplement with several therapeutic potentials. However, the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba supplement to protect the kidney against cyclosporine-A induced renal toxicity is not fully understood. This study is to investigate the effect of Ginkgo biloba supplement on Wistar rat induced renal toxicity. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly selected into four groups containing 5 wistar. Group 1 were given water (vehicle 10ml/kg body weight) and feed, group 2 were induced with Cyclosporine (CsA) (25mg/kg body weight), Ginkgo biloba supplement (GBS) (50mg/Kg body weight) was administered to group 3 and group 4 were administered with CsA (25mg/kg body weight) and GBS (50mg/kg body weight) co-administration for 15 days respectively. The animals were then anaesthetized with ketamine (70mg/kg body weight). The blood samples were collected into EDTA bottles for plasma biochemistry while kidney tissues were also harvested and preserved in 10% formalin for histological examination. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics using one-way ANOVA and p<0.05 was considered significant. Total protein, Urea and Creatinine were significantly increased when compared with control. Treatment with Ginkgo biloba supplement showed reduction of kidney biomarkers. Total protein was significantly reduced in Cyclosporine induced animals compared to Ginkgo biloba supplement treated animals. The weight of the kidney was not significantly different in the animals that received both cyclosporine and Ginkgo biloba supplement. There was a histological alteration in kidney tissues following cyclosporine induction. However, Ginkgo biloba supplement restored normalcy to these tissues. In conclusion, this study suggests that Ginkgo biloba supplement protected the kidney against cyclosporine induced renal toxicity and this is attributed to the presence of flavonoids.