Abstract
Purpose: Safety data on commonly used herbal medicinal (HM) products (HMPs) and marketed in Ghana are scarce. We assessed the sub-chronic toxicity of three most-patronised commercial antimalarial HMPs in Kumasi, Ghana.Method: Top three HMPs (designated as herbal products ‘A’ (HPA), ‘B’ (HPB) and ‘C’ (HPC)) were selected after a mini-survey and sub-chronic toxicity evaluation conducted in accordance with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 407 guidelines. Control rats received clean water while test groups received daily adult human dose (DAHD), 5× DAHD or 10× DAHD of either HPA, HPB or HPC for 30 days. Rats were killed on day 31 to obtain biochemical, haematology and histology samples for analysis. Data were analysed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey’s test.Results: The three HMPs produced alterations in liver morphology predominantly characterised by prominent foci of fatty change with scattered hepatocytes containing intracytoplasmic fat globules and congested central veins and sinusoids. The lungs showed alveolar with evidence of inflammation and foci of epithelial sloughing. Alveolar spaces were also obscured by debris and inflammatory cells. HPA and HPC produced scattered intensely congested heart vessels while HPB(10) produced haemorrhage and amorphous exudates within the heart. All HMPs produced neither treatment-related deaths nor significant change in haematological and biochemical parameters, except for HPA and HPB which decreased (P<0.05) aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and HPB, which elevated (P<0.05) fasting blood glucose (FBG).Conclusion: Data from the present study suggest the potential of the herbal products (HPs), HPA, HPB and HPC, to cause major organ-system dysfunction or damage. We advise cautious use of these products and recommend further safety evaluation in chronic toxicity models.
Highlights
Malaria is endemic in Ghana and other Sub-Saharan African countries
Over 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans resort to the use of herbal medicines for their primary health needs [6,7]
The herbal medicine consumers buy their herbal products (HPs) from several sources including herbal centers, pharmacy shops and from those who sell at the roadsides, market places and to travellers in buses or at bus stations
Summary
Malaria is endemic in Ghana and other Sub-Saharan African countries. It is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years and pregnant women in the region [1]. Because of high cost and poor access to Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), the use of plant-based multiherbal preparations (MHPs) for treatment of malaria is common practice in the region [1,5]. Over 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans resort to the use of herbal medicines for their primary health needs [6,7]. We observed that most of the subjects used herbal medicines solely or in combination with orthodox drug for various health needs including preventive, curative and chronic disease management. The study participants demonstrated high level of trust in herbal medicines and believed that herbal medicines are better curative agents than pharmaceutical medicine [8]
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