Evaluation of the Oral Toxicity of Litchi chinensis Pericarp Extract in Experimental Rats

Abstract

A wide range of experiments have yielded empirical evidence pertaining to the efficacy of medicinal plants in the therapeutic treatment of several disorders. However, the use of herbs without conducting a thorough assessment of their effectiveness and safety can lead to sudden or harmful consequences that may pose a risk to the overall health of internal organs. Therefore, the current investigation’s goal was to determine the ethanolic extract of Litchi chinensis toxicological profile in rats. The Soxhlet extraction method extracted the fruit with ethanol as a solvent. The extract's susceptibility to acute, subacute, and subchronic toxicity was assessed. The histopathology of several organs (e.g., heart, liver, lungs, kidney and spleen) were also studied after treatment with plant extract. With the dosage of 2000 mg/kg, p.o., no deaths or adverse consequences were reported during the examination of acute toxicity. The Litchi chinensis extract produced no death or any observable changes in weight, behavior, organ weights, hematological or biochemical values in both oral subacute and subchronic toxicity experiments. Essential organs, including the heart, liver, lungs, kidney, and spleen, have regular planning when examined histopathologically, indicating no morphological changes. On the basis of results, the fruit (pericarp) extract of Litchi chinensis showed a lack of toxicity.