Given the extensive folkloric use of Mucuna pruriens (L.), the present work focuses on assessing the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective efficacy of its leaf extract, with the objective of determining its therapeutic relevance in the management of kidney and liver disorders. A total of forty male albino rats were used in this experiment and randomly distributed into eight groups, each consisting of five animals. The control group (Group I) received distilled water only. Hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were induced in Groups II and VI using carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) and rifampicin, respectively. Following CCl₄ administration, animals in Groups III and IV were treated with Mucuna pruriens leaf extract at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight (bw), respectively. Likewise, rats in Groups VII and VIII were subjected to rifampicin-induced toxicity and subsequently administered M. pruriens at 50 and 100 mg/kg bw, respectively. Group V served as the standard treatment group and received silymarin (100 mg/kg bw) orally after CCl₄ exposure. Indicators of hepatic and renal dysfunction were analyzed in serum samples and tissue homogenates. Furthermore, excised liver and kidney tissues were processed, stained, and examined microscopically for histopathological alterations. Administration of carbon tetrachloride and rifampicin produced pronounced alterations in lipid metabolism, suppression of endogenous antioxidant defenses, and significant elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea, uric acid, bilirubin, and creatine kinase levels. Conversely, intervention with Mucuna pruriens extract effectively ameliorated these biochemical disruptions and improved histological architecture in a dose-dependent fashion. The leaf extract of Mucuna pruriens effectively normalized altered biochemical indices and histological changes in both hepatic and renal tissues, demonstrating a protective efficacy comparable to that of silymarin. These findings suggest that M. pruriens leaf extract possesses significant hepatoprotective and nephroprotective potential and may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of liver and kidney disorders.
