Context: Sorghum straw (dried leaves and stem fiber) extracts and infusion are employed in the management of several ailments in folklore, and it is also a natural dye source used in food preparation.
Objective: This study sought to investigate the modulatory effect of dietary inclusion of Sorghum straw dye on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and antioxidant status in rats.
Materials and methods: Adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups of six animals each. Groups I (normal rats) and II (control rats) were fed with basal diet while Groups III and IV were fed with diets containing 0.5% and 1% sorghum straw dye, respectively. Nephrotoxicity was induced in Groups I-IV on the 20th day by the administration of a single dose of cisplatin solution (7 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) and the experiment was terminated 3 d after. Thereafter, the kidney and plasma of the rats were analyzed for kidney function (creatinine, urea, uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen) and antioxidant indices [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin C, and reduced glutathione (GSH)].
Results: The average feed intake of the rats in all the groups ranged from 9.0 to 9.5 (g/rat/day). Furthermore, the result indicated that administration of cisplatin caused significant (p < 0.05) elevation in plasma creatinine (2.2 mg/dL), uric acid (39.3 mg/dL), urea (81.4 mg/dL), and blood urea nitrogen (38.0 mg/dL) as well as a concomitant decrease in kidney antioxidant indices in control rats as against the normal rats. However, diets supplemented with 0.5 and 1.0% sorghum straw dye significantly reversed the plasma creatinine and the kidney antioxidant indices to near normal levels.
Discussion and conclusion: The study suggests that dietary inclusion of sorghum straw dye as colorants could protect against oxidative stress and cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.
Keywords: Anthocyanin; antioxidants; cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II); red dye.