Abstract
The use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine is a common practice in developing countries. However, this unregulated or irrational use may pose a risk of toxicity to humans in the short and/or long term. Recent studies reported interesting ethnopharmacological, antioxidant, and phytochemical data on some medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of male infertility in Benin. Unfortunately, very little data exist on the long-repeated dose toxicity of these medicinal plants. This study was aimed at evaluating the larval cytotoxicity and subacute toxicity of the hydroethanolic extract of Cassytha filiformis whole plant, Gardenia ternifolia roots, and Rourea coccinea leaves. The subacute toxicity of these plants was evaluated in male Wistar albino rats at three different doses (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) according to the OECD 407 guidelines. Hematological and biochemical examinations and the histological study of the liver and kidneys were carried out. Larval cytotoxicity was assessed by the sensitivity of Artemia salina larvae to different concentrations of the studied plants extracts. The mean lethal concentration (LC50) was determined by the probit method. Subacute toxicity data indicated that there was no mortality or structural alterations of the liver and kidneys in the lot of treated animals. However, significant alterations in certain hematological and biochemical parameters (hematocrit, ASAT, and uremia) were noted. These abnormalities were observed in the lot of rats treated with Rourea coccinea and Cassytha filiformis extracts. Larval cytotoxicity data indicate that the studied plants extracts are not cytotoxic (LC50 > 0.1 mg/mL). These data suggest that the use in traditional medicine of studied plants at high doses and repeated over a long period of time requires special attention.
Highlights
Traditional medicine has an important place in primary healthcare for people throughout the world
Plant materials used were constituted of G. ternifolia roots, C. filiformis whole plant, and R. coccinea leaves. ese plant organs were collected in March 2019 in the municipality of Za-Kpota and Djidja (Zou department, southern Benin) and certified at the Benin National Herbarium under the voucher number YH261/ HNB for Rourea coccinea, YH262/HNB for Cassytha filiformis, and YH263/HNB for Gardenia ternifolia. e harvest time of these plants studied was chosen based on the foliage time of each plant
Male Wistar albino rats aged at least three months with a body weight between 150 g and 200 g were used as the animal material for the subacute toxicity test. ese animals have been acquired at the animal farm of the Institute of Applied Biomedical Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi of Benin. ey have been housed in cages covered with wood chips and acclimatized for 2 weeks before experiment at the animal farm of the Research Unit in Applied Microbiology and Pharmacology of natural substances (URMAPha). e rats had free access to water and food
Summary
Traditional medicine has an important place in primary healthcare for people throughout the world. In Benin, the plant is indicated in the treatment of gastric ulcers, haemorrhoids, and cough [37] Secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, steroids, and saponins identified in different raw extracts of Cassytha filiformis would be responsible for these medicinal properties of the plant [38, 39]. E above evidence attests to the importance of G. ternifolia, C. filiformis, and R. coccinea in traditional African and Western medicine Despite this frequency of use of these plants for health purposes, it must be noted that rare or nonexistent toxicity tests have explored their safety following long repeated use at different doses. Is study was initiated to fill this gap in the scarcity of scientific data on the repeated dose toxicity of selected plants It aimed to evaluate larval cytotoxicity and subacute toxicity of G. ternifolia roots, C. filiformis whole plant, and R. coccinea leaves in rats to predict its safety in human use. Rats are recommended lower level of animals for toxicity studies to extrapolate to human biology according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) safety study guidelines [41, 42]. e finding of the study could help to guide optimization and validation of the traditional use of these medicinal plants
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