Abstract
Plant-derived substances have recently become of great interest owing to their versatile applications. According to Ncube et al. (2008) medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates, and chemical entities for synthetic drugs. Therefore, Euphorbia regis-jubae (Webb & Berth), an endemic Moroccan medicinal herb, and also, widely used as food for camels and goats was subjected to a phytochemical screening of increasing polarity gradient (petroleum ether, iso-hexan, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, and distilled water). Furthermore, the chemical compositions of different solvent extracts were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and the aqueous extract was purchased to an acute and chronic toxicity using Wistar rats. The acute and chronic toxicity study showed no toxicity when up to 5 g/kg body weight is administered orally. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of E. regis-jubae (Webb & Berth) revealed the presence of phenol, tannin, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Further, the GC-MS analysis revealed some compounds which are biologically important. Key words: Euphorbia regis-jubae, toxicity, phytochemical screening, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Highlights
In recent years, interest on plant research has increased all over the world
Euphorbiaceae is among the plants known for their medicinal value and therapeutic potentials; it is one of the largest families of the Phylum Anthophyta
In order to find new natural sources of medicinal plants and because very little is known about the toxicity, chemical composition and efficacy of Euphorbia regisjubae (Webb & Berth) belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, this study aims to investigate the possible toxicity of the aqueous extract of this plant after acute and chronic administration to rats
Summary
Euphorbiaceae is among the plants known for their medicinal value and therapeutic potentials; it is one of the largest families of the Phylum Anthophyta In this family, the largest genus is Euphorbia, which comprises well over 2000 species, and grows in the form of laticiferous herbs, shrubs, and small trees, inhabiting the tropical and temperate zones of Asia and other parts of the world (Heywood, 1998). The largest genus is Euphorbia, which comprises well over 2000 species, and grows in the form of laticiferous herbs, shrubs, and small trees, inhabiting the tropical and temperate zones of Asia and other parts of the world (Heywood, 1998) They have characteristic milky latex (Mitich, 1992) with the common name “spurge weed”. For centuries, plants and plant materials of Euphorbia have been known to be poisonous to human beings and often held responsible for the poisoning of livestock
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
