Hepatotoxicological Evaluation of the Illicit Street Drug Nyaope: Chemical Profiling and Liver Damage in a Rodent Model

What is it about?

The liver is one of the most important organs of the body that plays important roles in several functions. The drugs are metabolised in the liver. The most important causes of acute liver disease in the world include drug toxicity. In South Africa, there is a drug called nyaope, which is mainly used for recreational purposes. The administration of nyaope may cause severe health outcomes in the human body system. Nyaope is a cocktail using different household chemical compounds, only known by the dealer. The aim of the study will be to investigate the effect of nyaope on the morphology of the liver. The nyaope samples were supplied by the SAPS with the permission of DoH. The Nyaope powder sample was mixed in three different solvents, then analysed using a GC-MS machine. A total of 24 Wistar rats were divided into the control and experimental groups. The nyaope was dissolved in 90% saline water and administered at 0.1mg/ml in the 12 experimental rats for 30 days. After 30days, the rodents were sacrificed and the livers were harvested and collected, and the blood samples were analysed for histology analysis and biomarkers analysis, respectively. The Graph Pad was used to analyse the biomarkers. The Kruskal-Wallis test was carried out at p< 0.05. The nyaope samples dissolved in the methanol showed more ingredients compared to other solvents. Heroin and its derivatives were identified in all the solvents. The morphology of the liver after histology showed that the central vein was highly affected after administration of the nyaope solution. All liver biomarkers in the experiment were significantly higher in the experimental rodents compared to the control, with a p-value <0.05. Heroin was the most common ingredient found in the nyaope samples. In the current study, it was very clear that nyaope can modify the morphology of the liver cells. The morphological change may lead to the presence of biomarkers in the blood samples. Biochemical analysis and histopathological observation showed that heroin-addicted rats had liver injury. It can cause hepatic injury, which might affect the physiological functioning of the liver in the experimental group. The effect of the other compound that is present in the nyaope needs further investigation. There must be an investigation to search for the strategy of controlling the use of nyaope amongst the youth community

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Why is it important?

To illustrate the danger of administering the illicit drugs with dangerous chemical compounds

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