Abstract

Sodium nitrate (NaNO<inf>2</inf>), frequently utilized as a food ingredient for colour enhancement and meat preservation, has been shown to induce oxidative stress and cause anaemia. This study evaluated the ameliorative effect of tablets from the chlorophyll of S. androgynus (L) Merr leaves (TCSA) in NaNO<inf>2</inf>-induced rats. Thirty-six adult female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups: control group, NaNO<inf>2</inf> group (50 mg/kg BW), NaNO<inf>2</inf> + TCSA-1 (50 mg/kg NaNO<inf>2</inf> and 0.016 mg/kg BW TCSA), NaNO<inf>2</inf> + TCSA-10 (50 mg/kg NaNO<inf>2</inf> and 0.16 mg/kg BW TCSA), NaNO<inf>2</inf> + TCSA-100 (50 mg/kg NaNO<inf>2</inf> and 1,6 mg/kg BW TCSA), and NaNO<inf>2</inf> + Fe (positive control group, 50 mg/kg NaNO<inf>2</inf> and iron/Fe supplement). Over 30 days, the haematological and liver function were assessed from blood samples. Exposure to NaNO<inf>2</inf> resulted in significant reductions in packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and red blood cell (RBC) count, alongside elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine, urea, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT). TCSA had a therapeutic benefit in NaNO<inf>2</inf>-induced rats comparable to iron supplementation. The antioxidant properties of chlorophyll in the tablets markedly reduce the oxidative damage caused by NaNO<inf>2</inf>. Further studies are necessary to comprehensively analyze the molecular evaluations of the biological activities of tablets from S. androgynus chlorophyll.