THE EFFECTS OF GARLIC EXTRACT AND ASCORBIC ACID ADMINISTRATION ON MERCURY CHLORIDE-INDUCED CHANGES ON THE HISTOLOGY OF THE KIDNEY OF WISTAR RATS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
Mercury intoxication has been a public health problem for many decades. Consideration of the role of environmental factors in determining the susceptibility to mercury has recently been renewed by evidence from epidemiological studies (Wang et al., 2007). Many populations worldwide have been exposed to doses of mercury through the consumption of fishes and other sea foods (Valey et al., 1980; WHO, 2003). Some populations have experienced subsequent neuro-toxic effects and since the epidemic of mercury poisoning from contaminated fish consumption in Minamata, Japan in the late 50s, mercury has been one of the most documented examples of bio-accumulation of toxins in the environment, particularly in the aquatic food chain (ATSDR, 2011). The body accumulates ingested amounts of mercury in the kidney, brain, liver and other tissues including the hair (Burger et al., 2011).
Garlic is a bulbous plant, commonly known as garlic and a species in the onion genus Allium (Woodville, 1793). It is known as one of the oldest horticultural crops in the world (Mottehard, 2015). It is usually obtained as wild or cultivated garlic. The cultivated garlic is mostly referred to as domestic garlic and is the most consumed form which can be gotten from gardens or farmlands.
Garlic is a perennial plant of the lily family, liliaceae, with height up to 1.5m. It has flat leaves of about 8mm wide. It has greenish or whitish flowers, sometimes rosy or not very abundant that stands out with their long peduncle on a head of little bulbs, surrounded by a very long spathe. The bulbs of the garlic are formed by a white cover inside which there are several little bulbs or cloves (Botanical Online, 2015).Â
There are many different kinds of garlic and they are all different in size, colour, shape, taste and number of cloves per bulb, pungency and storability. There are over 600 cultivated sub-varieties of garlic in the world, although most of them may be selections of only a handful of basic types that have been grown widely and developed their own characteristics over the centuries as local growing condition changed (Anderson et al., 2015). Woodville (1973) reported the botanical classification of garlics as members of lily family and under the species Allium sativum. Two sub-species were postulated Allium sativum, ophioscordon, called ophioscorodon or hard necked garlic, which includes porcelain garlic and recamble garlic. Allium sativum, sativum, or soft necked garlic which includes artichoke garlic, silver skin garlic and cradle garlic. The hard neck garlic was the original garlic and the soft necked ones were developed or cultivated over the centuries by growers from the original hard-necks through a process of selection (Anderson et al., 2015).
Garlic has different names, depending on the area or culture. It is called Eyimsanu in Ibibio, Ayuu in Igbo and Ayo in Yoruba languages of Nigeria (Ndukwu and Ben-Nwadibia 2015). Garlic can be consumed raw, though not palatable, because of its pungent flavor. It can be cooked and used as condiment or as a primary spice (Matthew, 2014). Cooked garlic is a basic component in many dishes in Africa. Theflavor of the garlic often varies based upon its methods of preparation. Raw garlic has the strongest taste and is commonly paired with onion, and ginger, as well as tomatoes (Matthew, 2014). These flavor influenced food from a variety of regions and culinary discipline. Garlic are readily available as pills, capsules, liquid and actual raw cloves (Godwin, 2014).
Curinga, (2015) reported that garlic extract may play a part in protecting against lost of brain function, as indicated by its ability to increase memory, cognitive functions and longevity. He also reported in a study involving Dilly trisultides that it is an effective therapeutic agent in preventing tumour progression and in inducing apoptosis in active human glioblastoma, without impairing liver function.
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans and some other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress (Groff et al., 1995). It is also a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions including several collagen synthesis reactions. Ascorbate is required for a range of essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants. Ascorbic acid is not synthesized by some species of birds and fish. All species that do not synthesize ascorbate require it in their diet. Deficiency in this vitamin causes the disease scurvy in humans (Mader, 2001; Kumar et al., 2010).Â
THE EFFECTS OF GARLIC EXTRACT AND ASCORBIC ACID ADMINISTRATION ON MERCURY CHLORIDE-INDUCED CHANGES ON THE HISTOLOGY OF THE KIDNEY OF WISTAR RATS
