Abstract

G. O. Alade, M. A. Akanmu*, E. M. Obuotor, S. A. Osasan and O. R. Omobuwajo

In this study, the acute and subacute toxicity of Bauhinia monandra methanolic leaf extract were investigated in rats. Acute administration of the extract up to a dose of 8 g/kg body weight to the animals elicited no deaths or treatment related signs of toxicity. Oral subacute administration of the extract (2.0 and 4.0 g/kg body weight) did not show any macroscopic changes in the key organs investigated in the rats. Histopathological examination revealed no significant adverse effects on the liver, spleen, testes and kidneys except for focal expansion of the interstitial stroma and lymphoid follicles in the lungs. Biochemical investigations revealed no significant (p>0.05) alterations in the total cholesterol, total protein and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the serum. However, there was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the serum triglyceride concentration at 4.0 g/kg, which represented 33% of the control values. The extract produced no significant changes in the total protein concentration and LDH activity in the liver of the treated groups when compared with the control. The results suggest that the acute administration of methanolic extract of B. monandra may possess relatively low toxicity but caution has to be exhibited when used subacutely as anti-diabetic remedy.