ABSTRACT
The acute and chronic oral toxicity of pan masala (betel quid without betel leaf) was assessed in gavage studies in rats. Clinical parameters (liver and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase and alkaline phosphatase) and organ weights were measured. The results indicate that chronic feeding of pan masala impaired liver function, as indicated by changes in enzyme activity, and decreased relative weights of the gonads and brain.
Subject(s)
Areca , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plants, Medicinal , Animals , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Aspartate Aminotransferases/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Liver/enzymology , Liver/pathology , Male , Organ Size , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Rats , Rats, Inbred Strains , Testis/pathologyABSTRACT
A simple haemolytic assay method for quantitative estimation of the delta endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis from a crude preparation has been developed. The method has several advantages over mosquito-larvicidal methods of assay as it is inexpensive, highly sensitive and easier to run and can be used for performing a reasonably large number of assays rapidly with high precision and with a coefficient of variation that does not exceed 1.96%.
