Acute Toxicity of Oroxylum indicum Fruit Extracts in Rats

Background: The fruit parts of Oroxylum indicum have been used as local vegetables and folklore medicine among Southeast Asian people including Thailand. There is no report on their safety evaluation. Objectives: The present study was aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of O. indicum fruit extracts in male and female rats. Materials and Methods: The acute toxicity study was performed according to OECD guideline. The male and female Wistar rats were once and orally administered with the extracts at doses of 5, 50, 300, and 2000 mg/kg. The acute toxicity symptoms and mortality rates were observed within 24 h after administrations and until 14 days of the experiments. Body weight was measured in weeks 0, 1, and 2. At the end of the experiment, internal organ weights were measured. Hematological values, blood biochemistry values, and histology of liver and kidney were also examined. Results: All doses of the extracts did not affect body weight and relative organ weight. The rats from all treatments tend to gain weight. Hematological values are not affected by oral administrations of the extracts to the rats. Lipid profiles in rats from all experimental groups were similar, except triglyceride which is increased (P < 0.05) in male rats while cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein were not changed. Blood biochemical values in rats from all experimental groups were similar, but alkaline phosphatase in male rats statistically increased (P < 0.05). In addition, the inflammation was not found in liver tissue. While the histology study found that there was fatty liver incidence in the male rats treated with 2000 mg/kg fruit extracts. No change in histopathology of kidney in rats treated with the extracts was found. Conclusion: These findings indicate that O. indicum fruit extracts caused hepatotoxicity in rats. Therefore, the dose less than 2000 mg/kg was recommended for consumption.