HISTOMORPHOLOGY OF SPLEEN OF RATS SUB-ACUTELY ADMINISTERED WITH AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA JUICE EXTRACT

Abstract

Averrhoa carambola otherwise called Star fruit is a sweet juicy and succulent fruit that is cherished and consumed by many people. The juice extract is also used in folkloric medicine in treatment of certain ailments such as skin rashes, inflammatory conditions and diabetes. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that the fruit may be toxic to some vital organs in the body. This study therefore, was designed to investigate possible toxicity profile of Averrhoa carambola juice extract in the spleen of female albino rats. Twenty (20) rats were assigned to 4 groups (A –D) of 5 rats each. Rats in group A received distilled water at 10 ml/kg to serve as normal control while rats in groups B-D were administered the extract at 600, 300, 150 mg/kg body weight respectively Per Os for 28 days. On 29th day, the spleens were collected under mild
ether anaesthesia for histopathology assessment. The spleen histomorphology of the rats treated with the juice extracts showed no lesions and were comparable with that of the normal control. In conclusion, the result of this study suggested that the juice extract of Averrhoa carambola has no effect on the spleen histoarchitecture.