Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the toxicological effects of the ethyl acetate (ETAC) fraction of Cochliobolus spicifer (Nelson) isolated from Phoenix Dactylifera (Linnaeus) using Balb/c mice as an animal model. An acute toxicity study of the C. spicifer EtoAC fraction was carried out in male Balb/c mice using a range of doses of the extract (1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mg/kg body weight). These doses were injected intraperitoneally and the mice were observed for mortality for 24 hrs after exposure. A sub-acute toxicity investigation was performed using a dose of 125 mg/kg body weight. These doses were injected intraperitoneally at 24 hour intervals for 14 days. Pathological alterations in the kidneys and liver were inspected histologically.
In the acute toxicity study, the Balb/c mice did not show mortality within 24 hrs of exposure. In the subacute toxicity study, blood sugar levels were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) at a dose of 125 mg/kg body weight. The microscopic investigation of the kidney architecture of control and treated mice showed a normal cellular appearance. The histopathological study of the liver revealed hepatocytes, infiltration with massive inflammatory cells, dilation in the central vein and cytoplasmic vacuolization. The C. spicifer fraction isolated from P. dactylifera was well tolerated when intraperitonally injected at a highest dose of 4000 mg/kg body weight but toxic when injected for 14 days at a dose of 125 mg/kg.