Abstract
In recent years, medicinal plants have gained renewed scientific and clinical attention due to their accessibility, affordability, and diverse biological activities, making them valuable resources for both traditional and modern medicine. In Iraq, Ziziphus spina-christi (ZSC) represents a vital component of the local ecosystem and a valuable economic and medicinal resource. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the protective role of ZSC leaf extract (ZSCLE) against the toxic effects of isoproterenol (ISO) on liver, heart, and kidney functions through biochemical measurement of serum markers. A total of 50 female rats were purchased, acclimated, and randomly divided equally into five groups: NC (neither ISO-injected nor ZSCLE-treated), PZ (not injected with ISO but received ZSCLE at 100 mg/kg), PI (injected with ISO but not treated with ZSCLE), ELZ (injected with ISO and treated daily with ZSCLE at 150 mg/kg), and EHZ (injected with ISO and treated with ZSCLE at 300 mg/kg). After 30 days, blood samples were collected from all study rats, and the obtained sera were tested using quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits to measure the levels of ALP (alkaline phosphatase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), TB (total bilirubin), BUN (blood urea nitrogen), CK-MB (creatine kinase-MB), Cr (creatinine), KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule-1), Tn-I (troponin-I), and Tn-T (troponin-T). GraphPad Prism software was used for statistical analysis of the study data at a significance level of p<0.05. Compared with the NC group, the findings of the PZ group did not differ markedly except for CK-MB, which declined significantly, whereas all studied biomarkers were significantly elevated in the PI group. In the ELZ group, all study markers showed a significant reduction compared with PI values but remained higher than those observed in the NC and PZ groups. Regarding the EHZ group, all biomarkers decreased significantly compared with PI and ELZ groups but remained higher than those observed in NC and PZ groups. In conclusion, this study may represent the first investigation in Iraq evaluating the toxic effects of ISO and the protective role of ZSCLE on biochemical markers of hepatic, cardiac, and renal dysfunctions, highlighting the importance of further studies on both ISO and ZSCLE at various doses.

Key words: Christ’s thorn jujube, Iraq, Isoproterenol, Medicinal plants, Nabaq, Sedr (Sidr or Sidir)