TOXICOLOGIC EVALUATION OF ACUTE AND SUBACUTE ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF CUCURBITA-MAXIMA SEED EXTRACTS TO RATS AND SWINE

The extract prepared from dried seeds of Cucurbita maxima was administ ered to rats and pigs. Following a single dose or 4 weeks of daily ora l administration, the extract produced no changes in serum glucose, ur ea, creatinine, total protein, uric acid, GOT, GPT, LDH or blood count s. Urine analysis (urea, uric acid, creatinine, total protein, Na and K), as well as histopathological investigation, showed no abnormalitie s. These results taken as a whole indicate that the seeds of C. maxima as used in Brazilian folk medicine are not toxic for rats and swine.