Fenugreek seeds, a hepatoprotector forage crop against chronic AlCl3 toxicity

Five months of AlCl3 oral exposure (500 mg/kg bw i.g for one month then 1600 ppm via drinking water) caused liver atrophy, an inhibition of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), an enhancement of both lipid peroxidation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and an increase of total protein level in liver. Moreover, histopathological and histochemical examinations revealed moderate alterations in the hepatic parenchyma in addition to a disrupted iron metabolism. Co-administration of fenugreek seed powder (FSP) at 5% in pellet diet during two months succeeded to antagonize the harmful effects of AlCl3 by restoring all tested parameters.This study highlighted the hepatotoxicity of AlCl3 through biochemical and histological parameters in one hand and the hepatoprotective role of fenugreek seeds on the other hand. Thus this work could be a pilot study which will encourage farmers to use fenugreek seeds as a detoxifying diet supplement for domestic animals.Pollution with the potentially toxic ionic aluminium (Al) is becoming a serious ecological problem related mostly to soil and water acidification caused by acid rain and anthropogenic activities such as overgrazing and overuse of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers [1]. Indeed, it is well documented that Al dissolves in acid environments which makes it more bioavailable and toxic [2]. Adverse effects caused by high Al levels have been in fact observed in plants and many domestic and wild-life species [3]. Al has also been involved in the etiology of grass tetany, a fatal neuromuscular disease in sheep, goats, and cows [4,5]. Grass tetany is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hypomagnesemia resulting from mineral imbalances in the diet of ruminants [6]. Post-mortem analyses of rumen contents of cattle who died from grass tetany revealed very high Al contents [7]. It is likely that this disease involves the ability of dietary Al3+ to depress serum Mg2+ lev