Abstract
Plukenetia volubilis Linneo (P. volubilis), or Sacha inca, is an oleaginous plant from the Euphorbiaceae family. The presence of terpenoids, saponins, tannins, glycosides, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds in the ethanol extracts of P. volubilis L leaves has been reported, showing a range of bioactivities including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesia. However, the safety of this plant has not yet been reported explicitly. This study thus is aimed at evaluating the toxicity of the ethanol extract of P. volubilis leaves (EtPV) by acute and subchronic toxicity tests in Swiss albino mice following standard procedures set by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with slight modifications. In the acute toxicity test, the treatment groups were administered orally with the EtPV at doses of 1000, 3000, 5000, and 7000 mg/kg body weight in small fractions during 16 hours, and the mice were then observed in 14 consecutive days. In the subchronic toxicity study, the EtPV was given at doses of 100, 300, 500, and 700 mg/kg body weight for 90 days. Changes in behavior, mortality rate, and body and the weights of vital organs, hematology, clinical biochemistry, urine analysis, and histologic morphology were evaluated. The acute toxicity study showed that the EtPV causes no sign of toxicity or mortality. The hematological, biochemical and urine analyses, changes in the weight of the body and vital organs (heart, liver and kidney), and histopathological analyses of organs indicated no evidence of toxicity at any doses. It was also revealed that oral administration of EtPV is safe at the oral doses set by acute and subchronic toxicity tests, and the oral lethal dose for the EtPV is higher than 7000 mg/kg. This study is the first to confirm the safety of P. volubilis leaf ethanol extract, and as a result, encouraging further investigation to examine EtPV potential for traditional medicine.
Highlights
Traditional medicine has been used in many countries to treat a wide range of diseases [1]
Plukenetia volubilis L. leaves were collected from a farm named the Eastern Agricultural Company, located in Buon Ma Thuot city (12046′-12055′N, 10802′-108023′E), Daklak Province, Vietnam, in October 2019 (Figure 1(a))
The presence of the above substances in the ethanol extract of Plukenetia volubilis L. leaves agrees with the results of the research carried out by the AnaKarina group in 2013 [10]
Summary
Traditional medicine has been used in many countries to treat a wide range of diseases [1]. There is evidence that some herbal extracts produced adverse effects during treatment process [2], arousing the concern about the safety of herbal medicine [3]. The safety of plant materials needs to be examine before they can be used to manage ailments [4]. The importance of scientific investigation into the toxicity of indigenous herbal medicines has been emphasized by WHO as part of the safety assessment of herbal products [5]. Plukenetia volubilis L., commonly known as sacha inchi, is a perennial plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is native in tropical South America, some of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, and cultivated commercially in South East
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