Research Article Ameliorative Effect of Vernonia amygdalina Plant Extract on Heavy Metal-Induced Liver and Kidney Dysfunction in Rats Precious Barnes , 1 Joshua Kwame Yeboah, 2 Wilson Gbedema, 2 Roland Osei Saahene, 3 and Benjamin Amoani 2 1 Department of Physician Assistantship, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana Correspondence should be addressed to Precious Barnes; precious.barnes@ucc.edu.gh Received 17 December 2019; Revised 23 May 2020; Accepted 2 June 2020; Published 24 June 2020 Academic Editor: Srinivas Mutalik Copyright © 2020 Precious Barnes et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Heavy metal toxicity contributes to liver and kidney dysfunction and damage through oxidative stress mechanisms; however, from previous studies, extracts from the Vernonia amygdalina plant have shown to possess potent antioxidant properties. is study was aimed at uncovering the potential ameliorative effects of ethanolic extract from Vernonia amygdalina plant in heavy metal toxicity- induced liver and kidney dysfunction. For this study, 44 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups. e control group received a basal diet and water only while the treatment groups received varied dosages of the heavy metals. e copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) groups had five subgroups. e Cu only and Cu recovery subgroups were administered with 16mg/kg Cu intraperitoneally daily for 14 days, whereas the Pb only and Pb recovery subgroups were administered with 13mg/kg Pb intraperitoneally daily for 14 days. Subsequently, the Pb only and Cu only subgroups were sacrificed. e three Pb and Cu treatment subgroups received oral graded doses (100mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 300 mg/kg) of the extract for 21 days. e Cu recovery and Pb recovery subgroups were left to recover for 21 days. After histological examinations, the Pb and Cu pretreatment groups showed evidence of focal necrosis accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltrations. e serum levels of liver biomarkers AST, ALT, and GGT, as well as urea and creatinine, were significantly elevated (P � 0.01) following copper and lead exposure. Upon posttreatment of the rats with the extract, the physiological levels of the biomarkers were restored and tissue architecture of the organs improved. us, the ethanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina is capable of ameliorating the effects of heavy metal toxicity through potent antioxidative mechanisms. 1. Introduction Heavy metals are defined as metallic elements that have a relatively high density compared to water. Since density and toxicity are interrelated, heavy metals such as arsenic can induce toxicity at a low level of exposure [1]. Heavy metals are well known for inducing oxidative stress. e mechanisms they apply in inducing oxidative stress include the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), depletion of intracellular antioxidant stores and free radical scav- engers, and inhibitions of antioxidative enzymes [2, 3]. e various dysfunctions displayed by cells under oxidative stress are due to damages caused by ROS to lipids, proteins, and DNA [4]. Vernonia amygdalina (VA) is a small shrub that pre- dominantly grows in tropical Africa with dark green leaves and rough barks. Its bitter taste has made it to be fondly called “bitter leaf” and more importantly, it has gained wide application in the treatment of amoebic dysentery and gastrointestinal disorders and has antimicrobial, antioxi- dant, anti-nephrotoxic, hepatoprotective, and antiparasitic properties. Human exposure to heavy metals is almost in- evitable due to their ubiquitous nature, and some are non- biodegradable, especially the nonessential heavy metals. Hindawi Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Volume 2020, Article ID 2976905, 7 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/2976905