Abstract The plant Anastatica hierochuntica is widely used for the treatment of difficult childbirth, gastrointestinal disorders and many other medical conditions. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the histological effects of Anastatica hierochuntica in mice female liver tissues where total of (30) mice females at the ages of (4-8 weeks) and body weight of about (25+2 g) were divided into three groups. The first group was the control group which received daily oral administration of (1ml) of distilled water for two months. The second group (plant–treated group1) was orally administered with a daily dose of (0.1g/ml) of the Anastatica hierochuntica aqueous extract for one month. While, the third group (plant –treated group 2) received the same dose to the second group but for two months only. Animals were killed at the end of the first and the second month with consideration of the control group and livers were autopsied and their liver slide sections were examined by light microscope and photographed. Then, images were assessed histologically and comparisons were made between the treated groups of mice and the control group.
Results showed that, the administration of daily oral doses of (0.1g/ml)of Anastatica hierochuntica aqueous extract for more than one month produced significant changes (P≤0.05) on mice females liver tissues that included lymphocyte infiltration, necrosis, liver tissue fatty degeneration and congestion and dilatation of the hepatic vein.
In a conclusion, the prolonged use of the aqueous extract of the plant for more than one month is associated with significant side effects on mice liver.
Keywords Histological effects, Anastatica hierochuntica, aqueous extract, mice livers.