title: Safety assessment of ocimum basilicum hydroalcoholic extract in wistar rats: acute and subchronic toxicity studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ocimum basilicum L. is widely used in folk medicine of many countries including . Both O. basilicum and its oil extract have received considerable attention for their potential medicinal properties, but there are a few reports about possible toxicity of this plant. Therefore, in the present study, acute and subchronic toxicity of O. basilicum hydroalcohlic extract have been evaluated in Wistar rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the acute toxicity assessment, five groups of 10 animals (5 male, 5 female) received four different single dose of extract orally, the animals were, then, kept under observation for 14 days. For subchronic toxicity, the animals were divided into four groups (5 male, 5 female) and were gavaged daily by 50, 200 and 500 mg/kg of extract. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, food and water consumption, and hematological and biochemical parameters were monitored during the study period. On the 45th day, animals were sacrificed and gross findings, weight of liver and left kidney and liver histological markers were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of acute study indicated that LD50 of O. basilicum is higher than 5 mg/kg. In subchronic study, no adverse effects were observed on serum parameters in male and female rats. The hematological results showed a reduction in the hematocrit, platelets and RBC in both sexes. No abnormalities were observed in other parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results of this study, present data suggest that hematologic system could serve as a target organ in oral toxicity of this plant.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid Reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Rasekh
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hosseinzadeh
authors.forename: Soghra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mehri
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamli-Nejad
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aslani
authors.forename: Farahnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanbakoosazan
keywords: Acute toxicity; Ocimum basilicum; Rats; Subchronic toxicity