Abstract
Acute (24-h) and chronic (90-day) oral toxicity studies on the ethanolic extracts of
Foeniculum vulgare fruit and
Ruta chalepensis aerial parts were carried out in mice. Acute dosages were 0.5, 1.0 and 3
g
kg
while the chronic dosage was 100
mg
kg
per day of extract. All external morphological, haematological and spermatogenic changes, in addition to body and vital organ weights were recorded. The extracts caused no significant acute or chronic mortality as compared to controls during this investigation. The treated male mice gained significant weight during chronic treatment while a loss or no significant change in weight was noticed in the female mice treated with the same extracts. Haematological studies revealed a significant fall in RBC level of
R. chalepensis-treated animals. Both the extracts failed to show spermatotoxic effects.