Abstract

Lagerra aurita is widely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments in African countries like Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana. It has been reportedly used for the treatment of fever, pain, epilepsy, dyspepsia and indigestion. The present study is aimed at assessing the sub-chronic toxicity of Laggera aurita crude extract in rats. A total of fifty rats were employed and divided into 5 groups of 10 animals each (5 males and 5 females). The animals were orally administered the extract at doses of 75, 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg daily for 28 days, thereafter, biochemical assay was conducted. Liver and kidney function tests revealed some significant (p < 0.05) changes especially at higher doses. Similarly, lipid profile indices and oxidative stress markers were not significantly changed as compared to the control. Also, estrogen and testosterone levels in male rats were not significantly (p > 0.05) different from the control. In female rats, while the estrogen and progesterone levels were also not significantly different from the control, there was a significant (p < 0.05) elevation of the testosterone level in all the treatment groups. Although some signs of toxicity and relative safety has been observed with the short-term use of Laggera aurita extract, its use should be recommended at lower doses.

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