Abstract

Citrullus colocynthis is a conventional herbal medicine with wide therapeutic applications, but also with some toxic side effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the toxic effects of C. colocynthis. Thirty male rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups. Test animals were treated with 100 or 200 mg/kg/day of either pulp or seed extract. One month later, surviving animals were sacrificed and specimens of small intestine, kidney, and liver were prepared for morphological evaluation. No animals treated with 200 mg/kg/day of pulp extract survived. Animals treated with 100 mg/kg/day of pulp extract displayed sever lesions in the small intestine, kidney, and liver. Interestingly, animals treated with either 100 or 200 mg/kg/day of seed extract displayed only minor intestinal insult. In contrast to seed extract, pulp extract of C. colocynthis can be fatal to rabbits. Therefore, seed extract may be the preferred route for therapeutic application.

Key words: Citrullus colocynthis, fatal, rabbits, toxicity.