Weight changes and organ pathology in rats given edible larvae of Cirina Forda (Westwood)

Abstract

The effects of oral administration of extracts of raw and processed larvae of Cirina forda (Westwood) on morphometry and histo pathology were studied in albino rats. Weights of rats in the control group and in the group that were fed the processed larvae were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of the group that received raw extract of the larvae. The relative weights of liver, heart, thyroid, pancreas and spleen were similar (p>0.05) in all the groups. The relative weight of lungs was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the control group of rats and the group that received the processed larvae than in the group given the raw larvae. Also, the relative weights of the kidneys in the rats that received the processed extract and the raw extract were similar but significantly higher (p<0.05) than the relative weight of kidney in the control group. Histopathological changes observed in the tissues of rats given the raw extract of the larvae include hepatocellular degeneration and necrosis, bile duct hyperplasia, congestion and tubular degeneration in the kidney and hyaline degeneration of myocardial fibres. The lung showed pulmonary congestion, thickened interalveolar septa, thick perivascular lymphocytic cuffs, and thickened and hyalinized tunica media of arterioles. The histopathological changes observed in the organs of the rats suggest that the raw larva of Cirina forda (Westwood) was toxic and produced a vascular circulatory disturbance resulting in organ damage in the animals. Processing the larvae by boiling and sun-drying reduced the toxicity on the liver and heart but not in the kidney. More research is needed on the toxicological aspects of the consumption of Cirina forda larva.

Keywords: insect larvae, processing, entomophagy, histopathology, rats

African Journal of Biomedical Research Vol. 8(1) 2005: 35-39