Abstract
There is a trend to use medicinal plants for primary medical care or as dietary supplements; however, the safety of many of these plants has not been studied. The objective of this work was to determine the toxic effect of the aqueous extract of Calea ternifolia (C. zacatechichi), known popularly as “dream herb” in vivo and in vitro in order to validate its safety. In vivo, the extract had moderate toxicity on A. salina. In vitro, the extract induced eryptosis of 73% at a concentration of 100 μg·mL−1 and it inhibited CYP3A by 99% at a concentration of 375 μg/mL. After administering 8.5 mg/kg of C. ternifolia to rats, we found a reduction in platelets and leukocytes and an increase in urea and the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Histological analysis showed spongiform changes in the proximal tubules of renal tissue and a lymphoid infiltrate in liver tissue. This plant is used in the treatment of diabetes, and it is commercialized as a dietary supplement in several countries. Our results show renal and hepatic toxicity; therefore, more profound research on the toxicity of this plant is needed.
Highlights
Because of the current tendency to adopt a more “natural” lifestyle, there is currently great interest in herbal medicine, a medical system that searches for efficient and mildly or nontoxic therapeutic options
C. ternifolia is used in several countries, it was placed on the prohibited plant list in Poland in 2013 [4]
The collected plants were identified at the UAAAN Torreon Unit with registration number CRB-Agroecology 002/012, obtaining a yield of 17% (p/p) of the aqueous extract
Summary
Because of the current tendency to adopt a more “natural” lifestyle, there is currently great interest in herbal medicine, a medical system that searches for efficient and mildly or nontoxic therapeutic options. A more recent study of the neuropharmacological action of the aqueous extract of C. zacatechichi indicates that it has insignificant neuropharmacological effects and reduces the abdominal pain perception [5]. It is traditionally used for the treatment of endocrine and gastrointestinal problems [6]. Flavonoids cause deformation, osmotic fragility, and aggregation of erythrocytes [10] Other flavonoids such as epigallocatechin produce toxicity in rat embryos [11], and quercetin, in addition to being able to capture free radicals and act as an antioxidant, can carry out pro-oxidant reactions, exerting cytotoxic effects on cells and tissues [12]
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