Toxicological evaluations of aqueous extract of Nymphaea lotus Linn leaves in Wistar rats.
Toxicological evaluations of aqueous extract of Nymphaea lotus Linn leaves in Wistar rats.
The aqueous extract of Nymphaea lotus L was evaluated for acute and sub-chronic toxicity in
male wistar rats. For acute toxicity test, a single oral dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight of the
aqueous extract was administered to rats for 14 days. There were no signs of toxicity,
behavioural or physiological changes in the animals. Sub-chronic toxicity test was evaluated
by administering oral doses of 0.5 ml of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract
for 28 days while the control received 0.5 ml distilled water. Out of all the biochemical
parameters studied, only alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST),
alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine and chloride ion were significantly affected (p < 0.05)
compared to control. The haematological parameters were also not significantly different (p >
0.05) from the control except white blood cells, lymphocytes and monocytes which were
significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in the treated groups. Histopathological analysis did not
show any sign of lesions or pathological changes in the organs that could be attributed to the
treatment with the plant extract. These results suggest that aqueous extract of Nymphaea lotus
may be safe for consumption at the doses tested.