Abstract

The aqueous extract from the leaves of Moringa oleifera was evaluated for its oral toxicity by the oral route, and for the sub-acute toxicity on haematological, biochemical and histological parameters in rats. In the acute toxicity test, M. oleifera extract caused no death in animals even at 2000 mg/kg dose. Oral treatments in rats with this extract at 400, 800 and 1600 mg/kg caused varied significant changes in the total RBC, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin percentage (HB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), total and differential WBC. The extract did not cause any significant change in the level of platelets. In the biochemical parameters, the extract at different doses also caused varied significant changes in the levels of total proteins, liver enzymes, and bilirubin. Clinico-pathologically, changes were also noted in the body weights, slight dullness at the onset of extract administration and no significant changes were noticed in all the organs examined in the course of this study. The study concluded that the plant is relatively safe both for nutritional and medicinal uses.

Key words: Moringa oleifera, haematology, histopathology, serum chemistry, rats, mice.