SOME PATHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF RAW LIMA BEAN (Phaseolus lunatus Linn. FEEDING TO GROWING

Some pathological changes: accompanying raw lima bean (RLB) feeding to growing rats were investigated. Among the gross patholo­gical observations were severe pancreatic hypertrophy and spleen atrophy. The rela­tive weight of the liver was significantly (P< 0M5) decreased while the kidney weight was significantly (P< 0.05) increas­ed. The relative weight of the heart was unaffected. At necropsy, the small intestine of rats fed 40% RLB and aoove were dilated and filed with light-yellow gassy liquid. Histopathologically, livers of rats fed 40% RLB and above showed focuses of coagulative necrosis and marked congestion of hepatic sinusoids and centrolobular veins. The spleen showed marked depletion of lymphoid follicles and medullary' sinu­soids. There was evidence of marked conges­tion of renal blood vessels in the high RLB diets. No lesions were observed in the heart tissues. The morphology of the intestinal apicalmicrovilli were generally disrupted. They appeared stunted and fragmented especially in the rats fed 40% RLB and above. Mononuclei cell infilterate characterized the lamina propria of the small api Large inte­stinal rnicrovilli. No microvilli abnormalities were detected in rats fed 100% cooked lima bean (control) diet.