Abstract:
Pulutan (Urena lobata) is a medicinal plant having antioxidant activity. However, their potency to inhibit the adverse effects of malathion has not been evaluated. The study aims to examine Urena lobata (U. lobata) leaves extract on blood glucose level, hemoglobin, and body growth of Danio rerio (D. rerio) exposed to malathion. The study used juvenile and adult of D. rerio which were divided into five groups (n=5). The leaves of U. lobata were extracted by the decoction method. The D. rerio was administered with extract 125-500 mg/L for 40 days concomitantly with malathion 2.5-5 mg/L. Blood glucose level and hemoglobin were measured using a commercially available glucometer and Hb-meter, respectively. Meanwhile, the body weight and length was measured using a balance scale and a ruler, respectively. All data were expressed as the mean ± SD and analyzed with one-way ANOVA followed by LSD test. The administration of U. lobata extract increased the body weight by about 40-90% (p<0.05) on juveniles D. rerio, while no changes were observed in adult, whereas there was a 20% increase in body length for both juvenile and adult D. rerio. The blood glucose level was decreased by 40-60% (p<0.05) for juveniles given U. lobata, meanwhile in adult D. rerio, it was reduced by 50-60%. U. lobata reduced the decrease of hemoglobin levels by 10-40% in juvenile D. rerio and 10-30% in adult. U. lobata extract reduced the decrease in body growth and hemoglobin level, and prevented blood glucose level increase.
