Sub-chronic oral toxicity profile of Carpolobia lutea leaf fractions in rats

Abstract

Carpolobia lutea (CL) (Polygalaceae) leaf is widely reported to be effective for the treatment of diarrheal diseases. The subchronic oral toxicological investigation is yet to be executed with both the crude ethyl acetate extract (CEAE) and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) to verify suitability of plant for the management of diarrhea diseases. The pathological alteration following oral administration of CEAE and EAF of C. lutea leaf were explored in rodents over a period of 60 days adopting Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) conditions. Thirty adult male and female wistar rats were randomized to four treatment groups of 6 rats /sex/group and were administered orally with three doses of CEAE, 192.5, 385.0, 770 mg / kg and one dose of EAF 770.0 mg/kg; while 10ml/kg of 20% Tween 80 was used for the control test. Weekly relative body weight and vital signs were assessed. Blood samples were collected weekly for hematological assessment. At autopsy, the major organs were cautiously excised and weighed. The study showed that both CEAE and EAF do not have significant impact (P > 0.05) on the hematopoietic system rather it impact more on the biochemical parameters which increased significantly (P < 0.05 - 0.001) and dose dependently. These results indicate that oral administration of CEAE and EAF in rats mediates biochemical but not haematopoietic sub-chronic toxicity. Its pharmacological and therapeutic effectiveness is not without toxicity implication and should be used cautiously sub-chronically.