Toxicological studies and seasonal variation of amino acid composition of the red alga corallina officinalis L.

ABSTRACT

The toxicological studies of the alcoholic extract of the red alga Corallina officinalis L. including its effect on the liver and kidney functions were investigated. A dose of 400 mg/kg animal body weight [1/10 LD50] did not affect the liver and kidney functions, while a dose of 3.10 g/kg animal body weight exhibited a significant increase in SGPT, SGOT, blood urea and creatinine. The seasonal variation of amino acids composition proved that the protein of C. officinalis L. collected in winter was characterized by a higher content of essential amino acids than the other two algal samples collected in spring and summer