Toxicological assessments of aqueous extract of UV-C irradiated Bacopa floribunda leaves in healthy male albino rat

Consuming medicinal plants for the presumed health benefits have been a common practice since early civilization and study is ongoing in improving the activity of the active constituents as well as their toxic effect. This study investigated the toxicological effect of oral administration of non-irradiated and irradiated Bacopa floribunda in healthy male albino rats. Standard acute testing was adopted while in subacute study, 35 healthy male rats were randomly divided into two treatments categories of three dosing groups which were 100, 400 and 800 mg/kg of extracts as well as the control. Hematopoietic functions, biochemical parameters, oxidative stress marker and organ histology were studied. Acute study revealed that the lethal dose of the extracts was above 5000 mg/kg. Daily dosing for 14 days caused significant reduction in mean organ body weight ratio of rats administered with irradiated leaves extract. Hematological parameters were not affected by B. floribunda leaves extracts. Except for urea that was significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in treated groups, other kidney function and liver markers remain unchanged compared to the control. Both extracts concomitantly reduced cholesterol and LDL concentrations. SOD activity and GSH were not adversely affected by both extract while CAT activity was altered in selected groups that received irradiated leave extract. Doses of irradiated leave extract slightly alter liver and kidney architectures while non-irradiated leave extract showed no sign of toxicity. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that non-irradiated and irradiated Bacopa floribunda leaves are practically safe. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Plant Research 2023.