Antioxidant activities, hematological and biochemical assessment of toxicity potential of Ricinus communis seeds

Background and aim: Ricinus communis plant, a perennial shrub which grows throughout the tropics, has a wide range of uses. The seed is used in traditional and complementary medicine as a laxative agent and to prevent conception. To date, there is limited available information as regards its toxicological profile in different systems. Therefore, the potential toxic effects and antioxidant activities of the seed extract in-vitro and in-vivo are evaluated.Experimental procedure: Toxicity studies was carried out using Brine shrimp lethality test and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines 423 respectively. Antioxidant activities were determined in vitro by Diphenyl picrylhydrazine (DPPH) and nitric oxide radical scavenging assays. Levels of various antioxidant enzymes in liver and kidney organs were estimated following standard procedures.Results and Conclusion: Phenols constituted a greater percentage of phytochemicals present (52.30mg/100g ) whereas alkaloids and anthraquinones were absent. The LC50 and LD50 values were determined to be 0.40μg/ml and 2000mg/kg respectively. There were no alterations to hematological and biochemical parameters in female rats while ALP and hemoglobin levels were significantly increased in male rats. Ricinus communis seed ethanolic extract (RCSE) exhibited good in vivo antioxidant capacity as it increased renal catalase levels significantly. Furthermore, histological assessment did not reveal damage to vital internal organs of the heart, brain, lungs, liver and kidney. Hence, RCSE is a good source of antioxidants and is safe for consumption at doses up to 2000mg/kg. Keywords: Catalase; Lipid-Peroxidation; R. communis; Rats; Acute-toxicit