Abortifacient and toxic actions of the glycoside ‘albitocin’ extracted from some Albizia species

Abstract

Abstract Conscious intact mice, rats, guinea-pigs, rabbits and monkeys were dosed with “albitocin”, an active glycoside extracted from plants of certain Albizia species used by East African native doctors to accelerate labour and procure abortion. In pregnant animals abortion usually occurred within 12 hr at dose levels characteristic for each species irrespective of stage of gestation. In larger doses the drug was toxic, and with lethal doses animals survived 12–170 hr, with increasing apathy and anorexia, conscious but moribund as death approached. Toxicity in the orally dosed animals was lower than in those dosed intraperiotoneally or intravenously. The changes observed which could account for the mortality are discussed.