THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF PYRUS COMMUNIS ON HISTOPATHOLOGY IN NΩ-NITRO-L-ARGININE METHYL ESTER (L-NAME) TREATED RATS

Hypertension is a major global health concern, contributing to cardiovascular and renal damage through oxidative stress and inflammation, L-NAME as used as hypertension model in this study. Pyrus communis, rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits. This study investigated the effects of aqueous Pyrus communis leaf extract on heart and kidney histopathology in L-NAME-induced hypertensive wistar rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n=6): normal (saline), hypertensive control (L-NAME 40 mg/kg/day), captopril-treated (L-NAME + 50 mg/kg/day), and two extract-treated groups (L-NAME + 200 or 400 mg/kg/day). Hypertension was induced for 4 weeks, with treatments administered concurrently in the last 2 weeks. At the end of the experiments the animals ere sacrificed and organs harvested, preserved in 10 percent formaldehyde for histopathology screening which was carried out using H and E. Histopathological analysis revealed that L-NAME caused severe renal (glomerulosclerosis, tubular necrosis) and cardiac (fibrosis, cardiomyocyte atrophy) damage. The 200 mg/kg extract partially reversed these lesions, whereas the 400 mg/kg dose restored to near-normal the tissue architecture, comparable to captopril. These findings indicate that aqueous Pyrus communis extract, particularly at 400 mg/kg, exerts nephroprotective and cardioprotective effects in L-NAME-induced hypertension, likely mediated by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, supporting its potential as a natural therapeutic for hypertension-related organ damage.