Abstract:
The plant Centaurium erythraea is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of the many diseases. The aim of present study is to investigate the acute toxicity of aqueous extract of Centaurium erythraea in Swiss albino mice. mice were administered a single dose of 2000 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg orally and then observed individually for the first four hours, then over a period of 24 hours and at least once daily for 14 days. Results showed that a single administration of the aqueous extract of Centaurium erythraea up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg did not cause any mortality or signs of toxicity in the mice tested during the observation period. There were no significant differences in body weight, food consumption, absolute organ weights between controls and treated animals. Biochemical analysis showed no differences in parameters examined. No histological changes were observed in organs of treated mice compared to control. These results indicates the safety usage of extract from this plant in traditional medicine.

Keywords: Centaurium Erythraea, Acutetoxicity, Biochemical Parameters, Histopathology Examination.