HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN KIDNEY DUE TO THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS STAGES OF NAGABHASMA (LEAD) PREPARATION

Background: Nagabhasma is a lead-based Ayurvedic medicine. Numerous reports indicate the toxic effects of lead used in this preparations on various systems of our body. But Ayurveda claims that the toxic effect of lead gets nullified thereby acquiring the medicinal property by following stringent and traditional method of preparation. Objectives: Therefore, the present study is designed to evaluate the effect of such detoxified lead in various stages of authentically prepared Nagabhasma on the histopathology of kidney in comparison with lead acetate treated and commercially available Nagabhasma treated animals. Materials and method: Less than the human equivalent doses of Nagabhasma at four different stages of its preparation were fed orally for 30 days and 60 days (short term and long term) to Wistar rats. The animals were even kept under observation for a period of two months after the treatment period and then the residual effect was studied. After the treatment and observation period, the animals were sacrificed to collect the kidneys for histopathological examination. Results: The histopathological results of the immediate and residual effects showed massive alterations in the structural findings. Conclusion: The results supports that by following the traditional procedures while preparing the Nagabhasma, the metallic lead gets converted into non-toxic organometallic compound.