Sub-acute Toxicological Effects of Jobelyn (R) on Pregnant Albino Rats

The aim of the present study was to investigate the sub-acute toxicological effects of Jobelyn (R) on pregnant albino rats by employing biochemical, haematological and histopathological methods. A total of 32 pregnant female rats were randomly assigned to four different groups of eight rats each. The control group received distilled water and different doses of Jobelyn (R); 250, 500, 1000 mg kg(-1) were administered orally once a day for 2 weeks to the other groups. Biochemical analysis revealed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the levels of alanine aminotransferase, albumin, urea, PCV and Hb in the treatment groups when compared to the control. However, the significant decrease in PCV and Hb was observed solely in the group treated with 1000 mg kg(-1) body weight, suggesting that this decrease could be dose-dependent. Alkaline phosphatase, total protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, WBC count, revealed no significant difference (p<0.05) when compared to the control. The results show that at an appropriate dosage, the use of Jobelyn (R) during pregnancy may have no adverse effect on the liver and kidney tissues and may possess hepatoprotective and nephroprotective properties however the histopathological studies revealed that very high levels of Jobelyn may be hepatotoxic.