Paper Title
CHEMICAL PROFILING, ACUTE TOXICITY AND NEPHROPROTECTIVE POTENTIAL OF HELIOTROPIUM CURASSAVICUM IN ALBINO RATS

Abstract
Heliotropium curassavicum (salt heliotrope), a medicinal plant from the Boraginaceae family, traditionally used for its therapeutic properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the chemical compositionof the methanolic extract of Heliotropium curassavicum (MEHC) using HPLC, and to assess its acute toxicity and nephroprotective effects in albino wistar rats.HPLC analysis of MEHCrevealed asignificant number of active metabolites, including phenolic acids and flavonoids. The major phenolic and flavonoid compounds identified were coumaric acid (10.29 μg/mg), protocatechuic acid (6.52 μg/mg), gallic acid (4.21 μg/mg), catechin (8.31 μg/mg) and flavanols (6.51 μg/mg).The acute toxicity evaluation of MEHC revealed no sign of toxicity or mortality, even at the highest dose of 2000 mg/kg over a period of 7 days. Physiological parameters, such as organ weights, remained consistent with those of untreated control rats. Hematological assessments (Hb, ESR, WBC counts) showed no deviations from normal values and biochemical markers of kidney function,creatinine (0.93±0.01 mg/dL), urea (21.64±0.23 mg/dL) and BUN (18.41±0.11 mg/dL) were within the normal range. Histopathological examination confirmed no tissue abnormalities in liver, kidney, or heart, supporting the safety profile of MEHC at the administered doses. Nephroprotective activity was assessed by administering gentamicin (100 mg/kg) to all animal groups except normal baseline group, which induced acute kidney dysfunction, evidenced by significant elevations in serum creatinine, urea levels and reduced body weight, along with multiple histological damages. Treatment with MEHC showed significant, dose-dependent improvements (p<0.01) in body weight at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg. It also protected the kidney from oxidative stress, significantly lowering serum creatinine (1.336±0.014 mg/dL) and urea levels (18.32±0.41 mg/dL) at the 400 mg/kg dose, achieving inhibition rates of 23.04% and 46.79%, respectively, compared to the toxic group. The nephroprotective effect of MEHC treatment was demonstrated in comparison to both the standard group Silymarin (150 mg/kg) and the control group, showing protection against kidney damage in parameters such as serum creatinine, urea, kidney weights, and body weights. Histopathological studies further confirmed the protective effect of MEHC.The results of the experimental studies concluded that Heliotropium curassavicum has a favorable safety profile and exhibits significant nephroprotective effects, thereby supporting its traditional medicinal use. Keywords - HPLC, Acute Toxicity, Nephroprotective Activity, Gentamicin, Heliotropium Curassavicum