Abstract

The histopathological view of liver, intestines and kidney of bacterial infected rabbits, fed with 100mg/ml saponin extracted from Phyllanthus niruri over a period of seven days was carried out to determine the effect of the plant extract on these organs after treatment. Saponin was administered as strawberry suspension at a dose of 10mg per day (divided into four doses) to ten rabbits, nine of which were fed with food contaminated with 0.5mL bacterial suspension obtained by McFarland standardization (10% Barium sulfate) after starvation for 6hrs . Multiple foci of tubular necrosis and haemorrhages in the kidney, marked hyperplasia of the mucosal layer of the small intestine, and a mild periportal lymphocytic cellular infiltration of the liver of the treated rabbits were observed. Plasma urea, uric acid, creatinine and blood glucose levels increased significantly (p lt; 0.05) in the treated rabbits. Plasma protein, hemoglobin, red blood cell and leukocyte counts were not altered adversely. No significant changes were observed in the enzymes#x2019; activity in all the groups of rabbits tested. The extract seems to show therapeutic actions on infections caused by E. coli and Salmonella typhi without any adverse effect on the organs.