Cytotoxicity, acute, and sub-chronic toxicity of the Arctium tomentosum Mill. root extract

Abstract

Since ancient times people around the world used medicinal plants for their therapeutic potential. Some studies of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective effects of the extracts from plants of the genus Arctium have been conducted. The extracts obtained from these plants are considered safe with low toxicities; however, little is known about the toxicity of the Arctium tomentosum Mill. extract. Therefore, our work aimed to study the toxic effect of a carbon dioxide extract from the A. tomentosum Mill. root through MTT assay, acute, and sub-chronic toxicity studies. In the MTT assay, a low cytotoxic effect was observed at concentrations between 0.078 mg/mL and 0.001 mg/mL. The IC50 value – 0.091 mg/mL was determined through non-linear regression analysis. The acute toxicity test demonstrated that the LD50 is >5000 mg/kg and in the sub-chronic toxicity test, a dose of 200 mg/kg did not induce the toxic effect. In this way, the present study can serve as a base for the further investigation of the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects of the A. tomentosum Mill—root extract.