Table 2.

Subacute toxicity of Nigella sativa in animal studies

Substance/dose	Animals used	Exposure period	Observation period	Main results	Reference
N. sativa seeds AE 10 mL/kg, p.o.	Male Sprague Dawley rats	14 days	30 days	↑ Serum γ-GT and ALT levels. Unchanged serum ALP levels and histopathological examinations	[63]
N. sativa seed oil 10 mL/kg, p.o.	Rats	48 h	Not specified	No toxicity	[53]
	Mice
N. sativa seeds AE, ME, and CE 6 g/kg, p.o	Both sexes of young virgin mice	14 days	Same 14 days	No toxicity wide margin of safety	[4]
N. sativa powder 90, 180, 360, and 540 mg/kg, locally	Normal adult male albino rats	1, 2, and 4 weeks	Same 4 weeks	Transient alterations in both anticoagulant and coagulant functions	[54]
N. sativa powder 0.01, 0.1, and 1 g/kg/day, p.o	Male Sprague Dawley rats	28 days	Same 28 days	No toxicity	[64]
N. sativa AE 2, 6.4, 21, 33, and 60 g/kg, orally), p.o	Mus musculus	6 weeks	Same 6 weeks	21 g/kg: hepatotoxic 60 g/kg: high mortality	[65]
	mice
BSH 100, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg, p.o	Male Sprague Dawley rats	14 days	28 days	No toxicity	[66]

AE, aqueous extract; ME, methanol extract; CE, chloroform extract; γ-GT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine transaminase; BSH, black seed and honey mixture; i.p., intraperitoneal; p.o., per oral.