The effect of sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens) leaves extract to methyl mercury concentration in blood and characteristics of erythrocyte of rat after exposed by methyl mercury chloride
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Abstract
Abstract. Widyawati W, Wiryanto, Listyawati S. 2007. The effect of sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens) leaves extract to methyl mercury concentration in blood and characteristics of erythrocyte of rat after exposed by methyl mercury chloride. Biofarmasi 5: 26-37. Methyl mercury is the most toxic kind of mercury that has been used in society on various levels since a long time ago. Naturally, methyl mercury is produced from the methanogenic bacteria's methylation process of inorganic mercury on aquatic sediment. The existence of methyl mercury in the district area will be toxic if it enters the organism’s body. The research aimed to study the effect of sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens (Lour) Merr.) leaves extract to methyl mercury concentration in blood and the characteristics of erythrocyte of rat (Rattus norvegicus L.) after being exposed by methyl mercury chloride, and to study the most effective dose of sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens (Lour) Merr.) leaves extract to reduce the concentration of methyl mercury in blood and to repair the characteristics of erythrocyte after exposed by methyl mercury chloride. The research used a Completely Random Design with six groups; each group consisted of 4 repetitions. The treatments of each group were aqua dest 2.5 ml (placebo), methyl mercury chloride 2.99 mg/kg BW (negative control), L-Cysteine 5.4 mg/kg BW (positive control), and the extract of sambung nyawa leaves 1.945, 3.889, and 5.834 g/kg BW. The observation included the concentration of methyl mercury in blood, hemoglobin concentration, erythrocyte number, and Packed Cell Volume (PCV), which was analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and continued with Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at a significance level of 5%. The morphology of erythrocyte observation was analyzed qualitatively. The research showed that the extract of sambung nyawa leaves at doses of 1.945, 3.889, and 5.834 g/kg BW affected the reduction of the concentration of methyl mercury in the blood significantly and repaired the characteristics of the erythrocyte. The extract of sambung nyawa leaves that had the highest effectiveness to reduce the methyl mercury concentration in blood and repair erythrocyte’s characteristics was on a dose of 5.834 mg/kg BW.