Abstract
Saffron is internationally used as a food additive it is also used as an herbal medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of everyday used doses of aqueous saffron extract on liver development in mice embryos. Forty five pregnant Swiss white Rodeless mice were divided into three groups. Group 1 received 10ml/kg body weight double distilled wateras control, group 2 received a high dose of aqueous saffron extract 100 mg saffron / kg body weight and group 3 received a low dose of aqueous saffron extract 2.5 mg saffron / kg body weight. Doses were administered orally for 5 days during the first and second weeks of gestation and for four days during the third week of gestation. Embryos were extracted on day 14, 18 of gestation and day 1 neonates. LPO, GSH and total protein content of liver at day 18 of gestation were measured. Histological structure of embryonic liver was studied. Significant decrease in LPO, significant increase in the GSH and a non-significant decrease in the total protein content of 18 day livers of embryos of treated mothers was seen compared to the control group. On the histological and ultra-structural level many deterioration were seen in the liver of embryos of treated mothers such as dilation and congestion of central veins and portal veins. It was concluded that oral administration of both doses of saffron caused deterioration of embryonic liver tissue.