Acute oral toxicity study of Curculigoorchioides in female albino Wistar rats

The methanolic extract of Curculigoorchioides Gaertn.(Family: Hypoxidaceae) was evaluated for its acute oral toxicity by administering as a single oral dose to female albino Wistar rats. The plant extract was administered orally in a sequential manner to five female rats at the limit dose level of 5000 mg/kg body weight. On the day of dosing, all the animals were observed for mortality and clinical signs for first 10 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h and 6 h after dosing and thereafter twice daily for mortality and once a day for clinical signs, for 14 days. The body weight of rats was recorded and weekly body weight gain was calculated. After the observation period of 14 days, the surviving animals were sacrificed and subjected to complete necropsy. All treated animals survived throughout the study period. The animals did not show any major adverse clinical signs. The overall weight gain of animals during the 14 day observation period was found to be normal. On necropsy, no major gross pathological changes were observed. Based on the findings of the present study, the methanolicextract of Curculigoorchioides, after oral administration as a single dose to female albino Wistar rats was found to be safe upto 5000 mg/kg body weight.