Browsing by Author "Al-Sindi, Taha Abdul Qayyum"

Introduction; Herbal medicine is largely used for prevention and treatment of several ailments. Trigonella foenum-graecum is one of the popular medicinal plants which is widely used as a treatment herb as well as condiment. Countless studies have been done on its beneficial health effects, while there are few studies on its adverse effect. Aim: This study is aimed to determine the acute oral toxicity effect of high doses of aqueous seeds extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum (TSA) following an acute oral toxicity guideline of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Methodology: Twenty-four female Sprague Dawley rats were purchased and randomly divided into 4 groups (6 rats each), control group was received distilled water, whereas the 3 tested groups received single high dosage of 3 g/kg, 6 g/kg or 9 g/kg body weight of fenugreek seed aqueous extract. Blood withdrawn after 24 hr., day 7 and day 14 of giving the required dose. The rats were sacrificed after 14 days, required organs were obtained. Results: No mortality witnessed among the treated groups, rats` behavior remain normal, no clinical signs observed. A mild increase in breathing were sighted for hours in group that received 9g/kg. No significant changes were detected in the renal functions. Biochemical analysis of blood serum showed normal levels of creatinine, urea and total protein. Electrolytes such as sodium, calcium and potassium were assessed and showed no toxicity. Histopathological examination revealed mild and moderate hemorrhage and inflammation in all tested groups. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the oral administration of high doses of TSA extract shows safety of renal functions. However, adverse effects were remarked on the kidney architecture which were; inflammation, haemorrhage and glomerular degeneration. Keywords: Trigonella foenum graecum, Fenugreek, Toxicity, Safety, Traditional Medicine, Herbs, Extract, acute oral toxicity, toxic effect.