Protective Effect of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Pelargonium Graveolens L. on Rats with AcetaminophenInduced Nephrotoxicity

Geranium has various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects. Prescribing glutathione probably enhances the protective mechanisms of nephrons against oxidative stresses. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of geranium on acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxic rats.

In the present study, 70 mice were divided into seven groups. In five groups (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5), different doses of geranium were given by gavage to the mice for seven days, then on the 8th day, a high dose of acetaminophen was administered intraperitoneally. Group T5 only received geranium extract. The control group received neither acetaminophen nor the extract while the last group received only a toxic dose of acetaminophen. Twenty-four hours after the last drug administration, blood samples were taken to check the levels of uric acid, blood nitrogen, and creatinine. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 25. To investigate the between-group factors’ effects, one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test was performed at the alpha level of < 0.05.

The differences between the levels of blood creatinine, urea, and uric acid were significant (P < .001) among the groups. The mean blood urea for groups T3 and T4 were similar, and they had a significant difference in comparison with the control group (P < .05). The mean creatinine levels were similar between T4, T5, and the control groups and were significantly different from the other groups (P < .05). Blood uric acid for groups T1 and T2 were similar to Group B and higher than the other groups (P < .05).

The results showed that by strengthening cell protection mechanisms against oxidative stress, geranium extract reduces the toxic effects of acetaminophen on mice’s kidney function and thus ameliorates the damage. As a result, the geranium extract has no adverse effects on kidney function.