Acute and subchronic toxicity assessment of debitterized fenugreek powder in the mouse and rat

Increased human use of fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum graecum) entails the generation of toxicity data in experimental animals. In this investigation, toxic effects of debitterized fenugreek (DFG) powder have been assessed following acute and subchronic regimens in mice and rats. In the acute study, DFG powder intragastrically administered to albino mice (CFT-Swiss, Mus musculus) and albino rats (CFT-Wistar, Rattus norvegicus) of both sexes failed to induce any signs of toxicity or mortality up to a maximum practical dosage of 2 and 5 g/kg body weight, respectively. Further, no significant alterations either in relative organ weights or their histology were discernible at terminal autopsy. In the 90-day subchronic study, DFG fed to weanling rats of both sexes at dietary doses of 0, 1, 5 and 10% in a pure diet had no effect either on the daily food intake or growth. Terminal autopsy revealed no alterations in relative organ weights of various vital organs, or their histoarchitecture. Haematological constants in DFG-fed rats were on par with those of controls. Further, biochemical measurements in serum and liver of DFG-fed rats revealed no appreciable changes in various parameters such as enzyme levels of GPT, GOT and ALP, as well as many serum constituents such as proteins, cholesterol, urea and creatinine at any of the dietary levels. From these results, it may be concluded that DFG does not produce any significant acute and cumulative toxicity at the doses administered, as reflected by the various parameters investigated. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved.