Physiological and Histological Effects Induced by Methotrexate Treatment on the Liver and Kidneys of Female Albino Rats and the Role of Pumpkin Seed Extract Against Them

Abstract

The current study sought to ascertain the impact of methotrexate therapy on the kidneys and liver of albino rat fetuses as well as the potential protective effects of pumpkin seed aqueous extract. In this investigation, 25 white mice weighing between 150 and 200 grams were employed. At dusk, they were put in plastic cages with other males of the same breed, and they were watched until mating took place. Evidence of insemination can be seen in vaginal plugs or the presence of sperm in the vaginal fluid. The women who are on their first day of pregnancy are tallied the next morning and split into five groups, with five women in each group. First group: this group was given only distilled water as a control; second group received methotrexate treatment for 7 days at a dose of 1.3 mg/kg; third group received oral methotrexate treatment for 21 days at a dose of 1.3 mg/kg; and fourth group received an extract dose. For 21 days, pumpkin seeds were fed orally through a feeding tube at a dosage of 300 mg/kg once a day. For the fifth group, a weekly dose of 1.3 mg/kg of methotrexate was administered along with a daily oral dose of 300 mg/kg of pumpkin seed aqueous extract for a duration of 21 days. The nutrition given to the animals was typical. Experimental animals were slaughtered on the twentieth day of pregnancy in order to obtain samples and ascertain the pathogenic and protective effects on the groups under study. The outcomes demonstrated that, in comparison to the control group, the group receiving 21 days of methotrexate therapy exhibited a number of alterations. Additionally, the recent investigation demonstrated that the dosed group The natural state was reflected in the aqueous extract of pumpkin seeds, whereas the two treatment groups exhibited phenotypic changes in the aqueous extract of pumpkin seeds as well. However, these changes were not as great as those observed in the groups treated with methotrexate treatment alone in comparison to the control group.