Toxic Effect of Abrus Precatorius Seed Aqueous Extract in the Liver of Wistar Rats

Abstract

Abrus precatorius seed is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases which include hepatitis, fever and asthma. The effect of Abrus precatorius seeds aqueous extract in the liver of Wistar rats was investigated in this study. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of Abrus precatorius seeds aqueous extract was determined via intraperitoneal (i.p.) rout of administration before screening the effect of the extract on the liver. In this study, age matched Wistar rats (180-190 g) were grouped into four with five rats per group. The treatment groups were administered 0.025 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg and 0.10 mg/kg aqueous extract of A. precatorius seeds (i.p) while the control group was administered 10 ml/kg distilled water (i.p) daily for fourteen days. At the end of the study, the activity of enzymes (alanine transaminase [ALT], aspartate transaminase [AST] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP]) present in the serum and liver homogenate was evaluated. The relative organ (liver) weight (ROW) and the effect of the extract on the histology of the liver were also determined. The results showed that the LD50 of A. precatorius seed was 0.35 mg/kg (i.p). A. precatorius seed extract caused an increase in ROW and in the activity of enzymes (ALT, AST and ALP) at 0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg when compared with the control. Pathological changes were observed in rat liver of treatment groups. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of A. precatorius seeds could be toxic to the liver and caution should be exercised in its use in traditional medicine.