Possible modulatory effect of browned yam flour diet on chemically-induced toxicity in the rat

The possible modulatory effect of browned yam flour, a local dietary staple in south western Nigeria, on the toxicity of 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and bromobenzene (BrB) in rats was investigated. Feeding rats with 25% browned yam flour 2 wk before treatment with 65 mg/kg DMBA (single dose) and 5 mg/kg 3-MC and continued for 3 wk significantly decreased the reduction in final body weight or weight gain and organ weights caused by the two compounds. Similarly, the diet decreased the reduction in body weight or weight gain and the increase in relative liver weight mediated by oral treatment with 0.5 ml CCl4/kg and 2.5 mmol BrB/kg body weight. Incorporation of 25% browned yam flour into rat diet significantly reduced the DMBA-mediated decrease in haemoglobin content, packed cell volume, red blood cell count and white blood cell count by 7, 5, 20 and 10%, respectively; while the diet reduced the 3-MC-mediated decrease in these parameters by 15, 28, 9 and 17%, respectively. The same diet elicited 23, 45, 13 and 33% decreases in CCl4 mediated reduction in these parameters and 23, 18, 16 and 29% in the case of BrB. Browned yam flour diet caused 10, 14 (P < 0.001) and 4% (P < 0.05) reductions in the DMBA-mediated increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and serum alkaline phosphatase, respectively; and 32, 31 (P < 0.05) and 13% (P < 0.001) in the case of the 3-MC-mediated increase. Also, the diet reduced CCl4-mediated increase in the activities of these by 40, 34 and 31%, respectively and by 23, 30 and 29% following BrB treatment. These results suggest that browned yam flour diet could possibly be a modulator of chemically induced toxicity.