Toxicological evaluation of mowrah (Madhuca latifolia Macbride) seed meal.

Mowrah (M. latifolia) seeds yield 40-50% edible fat and the meal contains saponins besides protein and high level of carbohydrates. The toxicity of the meal was evaluated as it has a potential for use in animal feedstuffs. The meal was fed to young and adult rats at levels of 10 to 40% in diet. The animals showed marked inhibition of feed intake and loss of body weight resulting in mortalities. Histopathological examination revealed a gradation of damage from slight erosion of the tip of villi of intestinal mucous membrane to complete necrosis and destruction of it, with increasing amounts of mowrah seed meal in diets. The other significant change was a severe vacuolar degeneration of kidney tubular cells. Detoxification or complete removal of the toxins is necessary for utilization of the meal as animal feedingstuff.

Hypolipidemic action of taurine in rats.

The effect of taurine on the serum and liver cholesterol and triglyceride levels was studied in rats fed cholesterol plus cholic acid. Four groups of 4 weeks old rats were fed control diet, hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD), HCD + 1% taurine or HCD + 2% taurine for 8 weeks. Addition of taurine in HCD diet showed a significant reduction not only in serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels but also in liver total cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride contents compared to the animals fed HCD alone. Histological examination of organs of these animals showed severe fatty vacuolation in livers and signet ring type vacuolation in kidneys of rats fed HCD. Taurine showed ameliorating effect on these abnormalities. The animals fed taurine in HCD also showed increased bile and sterol excretion in faeces compared to rats fed HCD alone. Taurine showed significant hypocholesterolemia in rats probably by enhancing the catabolism of cholesterol and reducing the absorption of dietary cholesterol.