Twenty-two samples of well-known herbs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were collected and analyzed for mycotoxins production and its effect on the liver and kidneys of tested rats was studied. One hundred and thirty-five adult female albino rats were divided into three groups where in the first group (n=110) was fed with an aqueous extract from herbal plants. The second group (n=20) was fed on with an aqueous extract of the isolated fungal species. The third group comprised the control group which was given water only and normal feeding (n=5). After 5 weeks, rats were necroposed. Kidney and liver samples were obtained for histological analysis. Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus ochraceus were the most dominant and frequently isolated (47.3%, 46.5%, and 18.1%, respectively), followed by Penicillium citrinum (11.0%). A. flavus revealed production of 350 ug/L of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2. A. ochraceus produced 460 ug/L of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 and 350 ug/L of sterigmatocystin. A. fumigatus produced 240 ug/L of ochratoxin A and P. citrinum produced 650 ug/L of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2. There was no significant histologic abnormality seen in kidney specimens taken from all groups. On the contrary, there were minimal to mild periportal lymphohistiocytic inflammation with rare foci of non-caseating granulomatous inflammation to occasional focus of lobular necrosis seen in liver specimens taken from rats fed with herbal extract and in rats fed with liquid cultures of mycotoxin-producing fungal isolates.
Key words: mycotoxins, herbal plants, nephrotoxicity, hepatotocity
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