Background Adansonia digitata (L) fruit has a multi-purpose function one among many, is the antioxidant activities of the fruit by preventing oxidative stress. The effect of Adansonia digitata (L) fruit on lead-induced liver and kidney damage is not clear. Hence, the study was aimed to assessed the protective role of Adansonia digitata (L) fruits against lead acetate induced changes in the liver and kidney function test parameters and the histology of both organ in experimental rats. The rats were divided into five groups with five rats each. All the rats were administered with respective assigned treatment once daily for 6 weeks. Rats in groups I were administered with just distil water (2 ml/kg). Rats in groups II were administered with lead acetate (30 mg/kg) while rats in groups III–V were administered Adansonia digitatata (L) fruit extract (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) and Succimer (5 mg/kg) respectively, then additionally challenged with lead acetate (30 mg/kg) immediately after. At the end of the administration, the blood serum from the experimental rats were used for biochemical analysis. Then, the the organs such as the liver and kidney collected for histological study. Results Rats administered with Lead acetate showed an increase in AST, ALP and ALT as well as increase in urea and creatinine level (p < 0.001), when compared with the control group (group I), where as Adansonia digitatata (L) fruit prevented the effect (upsurge of serum, Urea, Creatinine, AST, ALP and ALT) of lead acetate. Rats administer with only Lead acetate revealed marked liver steatosis and the degeneration of the kidney glomerulus. The Adansonia digitatata (L) fruit extract and Succimer prevented the histological liver steatosis, as well as the degeneration of the glomerulus of the kidney cytoarchitecture. Conclusion The findings in this study suggest that Adansonia digitata fruits extract has a protective potentials against lead acetate induced liver and kidney toxicity by preventing the upsurge of liver function enzymes and kidney function parameters. Hence, Adansonia digitata fruits can serve as a natural plant agent that can prevent hepato-renal toxicity. Therefore, Adansonia digitata holds future prospects in preclinical framework to ameliorate organs toxicity for oral therapeutic applications.

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Antioxidant is any substance that directly scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS) or indirectly acts to up-regulate antioxidant defenses or inhibit ROS production. The review is aimed at highlighting the components of baobab leaves with antioxidant capabilities. Articles were searched from the Directory of Open Access Journals, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct using key words such as composition of baobab leaves, antioxidant properties of baobab leaf, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and antioxidant. The result showed that boabab leaves are good sources of food with a lot of antioxidant components such as vitamin C, carotenes, flavonoids, zinc etc. These antioxidant components help to regulate ROS including free radicals such as superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, as well as non-radical molecules like hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen. Baobab leaves carry out the antioxidant activities through the following processes: scavenging and neutralizing free radicals, singlet oxygen quenching, superoxide radical scavenging, hydrogen donation, metal chelating, enzymes inhibition, peroxide decomposing and synergies. They also help in activating antioxidant enzymes, reduce α-tocopherol radicals, reduce nitrosative stress, prevent oxidases, and increase levels of uric acid and low molecular weight molecules which ultimately help to reduce oxidation in the long run. Baobab leaves are rich in phytochemicals with a lot of antioxidant capabilities due to the present of several components like vitamin C, carotenes, flavenoids, etc. These components work in different ways to regulate reactive oxygen species and by extension prevent oxidative stress.

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