Acute and 28‐Day Repeated Dose of Oral Polyphenol‐Rich Extract of Ocimum gratissimum Leaves Treatment on Adult Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

Ocimum gratissimum (OG) Linn is a member of the Lamiaceae family and is widely distributed in the coastal and savannah areas of tropical countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, India, and Mexico. In this report, the impact of acute and 28‐day repeated oral polyphenol‐rich extract of Ocimum gratissimum (PREOG) treatment was investigated in adult male Wistar rats using Lorke and stipulated OECD (420 and 407) guidelines with little modifications. In the acute test, (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 mg/kg) PREOG was orally administered using gavage at a single dose, and for 14 days, the animals were scrutinized for any signs of toxicity. In the 28‐day oral PREOG test, the animals were allotted (50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) PREOG daily over a period of 28 days; Control Group A received only distilled water, while Group B received corn oil. At the end of these studies, semen, blood, and tissues were collected for semen, hormonal, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses. No death and obvious signs of toxicity were recorded in both the acute and 28‐day oral PREOG treatment, and PREOG was well tolerated even at 5000 mg/kg. Body weight gain, histopathology (liver, testes, and kidney), and hematological and biochemical parameters were unperturbed by the acute and 28‐day oral PREOG treatment. Semen quality and hormonal and antioxidant capacity of the liver, testes, and kidney were also not impaired by the 28‐day oral PREOG treatment. These studies demonstrated tolerability of PREOG by adult male rats and the 28‐day oral PREOG treatment did not impair the reproductive and antioxidant capacity in adult male rats.