EVALUATION OF THE TOXICITY OF COELASTRELLA SP. WATER EXTRACT ON FEMALE ALBINO RATS

Microalgae are eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that can grow rapidly and can produce proteins, lipids and carbohydrates in a large scale over short periods of time. They are used as biofertilizers and soil conditioners, microalgae improve soil fertility and promote plant growth. Coelastrella spp. occur as unicellular microalgae or in few-celled aggregations. Coelastrella spp is a genus of microalgae known for producing various bioactive compounds with potential applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and other industries, these pigments are known for their antioxidant properties. This study aims to evaluate the toxicity of coelastrella spp. water extract on female albino rats. Twelve (12) female albino rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group which received distilled water, Low-dose group which received 100mg/kg body weight of Colestralla sp. Extract, Medium-dose group which received 250 mg/kg body weight of Colestrella sp. Extract, and High-dose group which received 500 mg/kg body weight of Colestrella sp. Extract. The algae biomass was harvested on day 21 using a centrifuge at 4000rpm for 20 minutes. Then the biomass was harvested by centrifugation at 4000 rpm for 10-20 minute. The wet algal biomass is then washed with deionized water to remove any residual medium and dried using an oven at low temperature 40ºC until a constant weight is achieved. The dried biomass is ground into fine powder using mortal and pestle, the powder will be used for extraction. The animals were weighed on a weekly basis and the results obtained were analyzed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of GraphPad prism. The statistical result obtained from this study showed that the white blood cells (WBC) in the group P were higher than the control and other groups. The neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils monocytes and basophils also followed the same pattern as the WBC. There are increases observed in packed cell volume (PCV) of those in group E, which might be attributed to the lower dosage of Coelastrella spp.