Safety Evaluation of Moringa Leaves (Moringa oleifera Lam.) on Kidney Organs in Male White Rats

Introduction: Moringa oleifera Lam. is widely used in medicine by the community to increase body endurance. Aim: The study aimed to determine the safety of Moringa leaf extract against kidney histology on repeated use. Material and Methods: A total of 36 male white rats aged 2-3 months were divided into four groups, namely one control group, which was given 1% Na CMC and three treatment groups, which were given Moringa leaf ethanol extract at doses of 7, 21, and 140mg/kg BW for 7, 14, and 21 days. Animals were sacrificed on days 8, 15, and 22; their kidneys were collected. The parameters namely descriptively presented renal histology and the ratio of kidney organs were analysed, using two-way ANOVA. Result: The results demonstrated that the group with the highest dose (140mg/kg BW) showed an average increase in damage scores, including 1.4, 1.6, and 2.4 (minimal-moderate damage). Accordingly, based on the duration of administration, the histology scores showed increasing numbers on days 7, 14 and 21 with successive averages of 0.55, 0.7 and 1.25. The results of the ratio of kidney parts showed a decrease which was influenced by the duration of administration (p<0.05) and was not affected by the dose (p>0.05). The results of Duncan's follow-up test showed no significant difference between each group for the duration of administration (p>0.05). Based on this, it can be concluded that the Moringa leaves did not significantly damage the kidney.