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ABSTRACT
Citrus fruits are highly consumed worldwide as fresh produce, juice and most often the peel is discarded as waste which contains a wide variety of secondary components with substantial antioxidant activity in comparison with other parts of the fruit. The aim of this study is to determine the side effects of orange peel on the kidney and liver of adult wistar rats. Twenty five (25) adult Wistar rats with an average weight of 180 - 200g were used for this study. The rats were randomly selected into 5 groups; Group A served as the control group, group B received 150mg/kg body weight of Orange peel extract, group C received 300mg/kg body weight of Orange peel extract, group D received 600mg/kg body weight of Orange peel extract and group D received 1200mg/kg body weight of Orange peel extract. The experiment lasted for 30 days after which the animals were sacrificed and their kidneys and liver were extracted for laboratory tests. Results from this study showed that the experimental animals fed with varying doses (150mg/kg, 300mg/kg, 600mg/kg bw) of orange peels showed no significant structural changes in the architecture of the kidney tissues as they presented normal architecture with normal renal tubules and glomerulus with bowman capsule. Experimental animals fed with dosage of 1200mg/kg bw however showed slight structural changes as the showed slight infiltration and inflammation architectures such as the glomeruli and renal tubules. There was no statistical significant difference in the renal function test result between the experimental animals and the control animals. Results from this study also showed that the experimental animals fed with varying doses (150mg/kg, 300mg/kg, 600mg/kg bw) of orange peels showed no significant structural changes in the architecture of the liver tissues as they presented normal architecture such as normal architecture such as the central vein, hepatocyte and sinusoids. Experimental animals fed with dosage of 1200mg/kg bw however showed slight structural changes as the showed slight edema and inflammations around the sinusoids and renal portals. The findings of this studies however showed no significant difference in the liver function as the AST, ALT, ALP, Total Bilirubin and Direct Bilirubin levels of the experimental animals were not from that of the control animals. From the findings of this study, it can be conclusively drawn that Orange peels has no significant functional effect on the liver and kidney of adult wistar rats. However, high dosages could lead to marked structural damages of the liver and the kidney.
