OPTIMIZING THE CREATION OF HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA WITH PHENYLHYDRAZINE IN AN ANIMAL MODEL AND INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF COTONEASTER ON BLOOD BILIRUBIN IN RATS WITH HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA

Background & Aims:

Currently, cotoneaster is used as the herbal medicine to treat jaundice in neonates. The aim of this study was to create hyperbilirubinemia by phenylhydrazine and investigate the effects of cotoneaster on blood bilirubin levels in the rats with hyperbilirubinemia.

Materials & Methods:

In the present experimental-interventional study, 70 µ/kg of phenylhydrazine was injected intraperitoneally to 15 days old Wistar rats. The rats with hyperbilirubinemia were divided to three groups. 48 hours later, cotoneaster with doses of 1, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg was fed to the animals through oropharyngeal tubes in 3 times for 10 days. Then, by taking blood and measuring total serum bilirubin at different hours, the curve of bilirubin changes was drawn up to 48 hours of the first injection of phenylhydrazine. Also, one group was selected as a control (healthy mice). 10 rats were selected in each group (5 females and 5 males). Descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis.

The results showed the comparison of plasma bilirubin levels on day 0 and after phenylhydrazine injection increased significantly (up to 6 mg/dl) (p<0.05). The oral administration of cotoneaster in all three experimental doses caused a significant decrease in bilirubin in jaundiced rats compared to the control group, in such a way that the values were up to 0.2 mg/dl, up to 0.4 mg/dl and even up to 0 mg/dl reported (p < 0.05).

Animal study evidence showed the compound of phenylhydrazine has the ability to be used in creating an animal model of hyperbilirubinemia, and clay milk reduces its hyperbilirubinemic effects.