THE HEPATO-RENOTOXIC EFFECT OF Lycopersicon esculentum IN MALE WISTAR RAT

Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomatoes) is botanically a fruit but also considered as a vegetable, it is a very nutritive fruit considered to be a healthy food for human diet because of its health benefits. Lycopersicon esculentum fruits have being widely used due to their benefits, but less emphasis has been laid on its possible effect on organs like the liver and kidney. Thus, this study is aimed at determining the Hepato-Renotoxic effects of Lycopersicon esculentum, commonly known as tomato. Fifteen male wistar rats randomly distributed into 3 groups of 5 animals each: Group A, B and C for this study. Group A animals (control) were fed with standard pelleted rodent diet and water ad libitum throughout the research period, while Group B (cooked tomato fed animals) and Group C (uncooked tomato fed animals) were fed with the cooked tomato fruits and the uncooked tomato fruits mixed with the standard pelleted rodent diet and water ad libitum respectively for 4 weeks. The levels of serum Albumin, Total Protein, Total bilirubin (TB) and Conjugated bilirubin (CB), as well as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were spectrophotometrically determined at the end of the experiment. The levels of serum ALP only was statistically significant (p<0.05). The hematological parameters tested (WBC, LYMPH, MID, GRAN, RBC, HGB, MVC, MCH, MCHC, RDW_CV %, RDW_SD, HCT, PDW, PCT %, and HCT %) were statistically not significant. At the end of the feeding period, both animal group gained weight but the cooked tomato fruits fed animals significantly gained more weight than the uncooked tomato fed rat, in relation to the control group. The histological study of the liver and the kidney of the animals in both groups with respect to the control showed no distortion. This study therefore suggests L. esculentum consumption is not hepato-renotoxic.