Abstract

ORAL ACUTE TOXICITY STUDY OF PURIFIED STERCULIA FOETIDA EXUDATE GUM

Pravin R. Bhushette, Satish V. Rojekar and Uday S. Annapure*

Abstract

The study aims to investigate the biologically active Sterculia foetida exudate gum's safety in terms of adverse reaction and mortality. The Sterculia foetida exudate gum was subjected to the toxicity studies; a sterculia foetida exudate gum was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley female rats by feeding the animals with serial doses of the gums between 50 to 2000 mg/kg bodyweight orally. Acute toxicity study in rats administered with 2000 mg/kg exudate gums, the toxicity in the animals was carried out by assessing the effects on body weight, relative organ weight, biochemical parameters and histopathological study for heart, lung, liver, kidneys, spleen, following oral administration of a solution of the Sterculia foetida exudate gum. The LD50 value of Sterculia foetida exudate gum was calculated and it was found to be more than 5000 mg/kg. Serum biochemical findings show no significant differences in comparison to control. No considerable bodyweight or relative organ weight changes occurred throughout the study; histopathology of selected organs showed no remarkable pathology. The above results show that the Sterculia foetida exudate gum did not produce any toxic effect in rats. Therefore it is safe for food and pharmaceutical applications as excipients.

Keywords: Exudate Gum; Toxicity; Haematological study; Histopathological study; Food Additive.