International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine

Abstract

Background: Chemical intoxication of dietary origin is one of the significant public health problems confronting the global community. Cyanide is a very toxic chemical that reacts and forms a stable complex with iron in ferric cytochrome oxidase, inhibiting its role in oxidative phosphorylation. Adsorbents are carbon materials that attract poisons to their surface, thus preventing their absorption into the gastrointestinal system. This study aims to determine the effect of adsorbents prepared from plant biomass on the di sposition of cyanide in albino Wistar rats.
Methods: A total of 30 male Wistar rats were used for the study. The rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups of 6 rats per group. A single dose of 3 mg/kg potassium cyanide was administered orally to rats in the groups. After 15 minutes, all rats in each group were given activated charcoal from different sources. Blood samples were collected serially from the albino rats in each group for cyanide assays following standard procedures. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS software, version 24.0. P<0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
Results: In all groups, the highest blood cyanide level was reached at the 30-minute (0.5 h) mark, and from there, the blood cyanide levels declined till day 21. At the 30-minute mark, the highest blood cyanide concentration (34.41±0.65 µmol/L) was seen in group 1 rats, followed by group 4 rats (32.54±0.40 µmol/L). The lowest blood cyanide level (30.45±0.21 µmol/L) was seen in group 5 rats.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the administration of activated charcoal samples prepared from coconut shells, castor oil seed shells, and plantain peels minimized the absorption of cyanide and the consequent toxicity in Wistar rats exposed to a sublethal dose of cyanide.