Acute and sub-chronic oral toxicity studies of methanol extract of <i>Clinacanthus nutans</i> in mice

Abstract

Background: Clinacanthus nutans (C. nutans) Lindau (family Acanthaceae) is a shrub widely cultivated in the South East Asia region, including Malaysia. It has been traditionally used for treatment of various ailments including pain-mediated diseases. Various pharmacological activities of C. nutans have been reported except for its pain-relieving activity. This study was performed to evaluate the acute and sub-chronic oral toxicity of the methanol extract of Clinacanthus nutans (MECN) in male and female mice. Methods: In the acute toxicity study, a single dose of 5000 mg kg -1 of body weight MECN was administered orally, and was monitored for 14 consecutive days. In the sub-chronic toxicity study, the MECN was administered orally at doses of 50, 500, and 2500 mg kg -1 day

Subacute Oral Administration of Clinacanthus nutans Ethanolic Leaf Extract Induced Liver and Kidney Toxicities in ICR Mice

“…These findings are in agreement with the report of Chavalittumrong et al [58], where a significant decrease body weight of male rats treated with 1.0 g/kg of C. nutans ethanolic extract daily for 90 days compared to the control group was reported. However, it is contrary to the report of Zakaria et al [9], who reported that repeated oral administration of methanolic extract of C. nutans daily for 28 days did not affect the body weight of the mice even at the highest dose of 2500 mg/kg. This perhaps may be due to shorter duration of exposure [56,57] compared to the present study.…”

“…Toxicity evaluation of C. nutans therefore becomes very necessary in order to ascertain its safety levels that should be used for the treatment of various illnesses. The current literature mostly reported the toxicity effects of the aqueous leaf extracts of the plants [11,12], while a few others that employed the methanolic/ethanolic leaf extracts reported that the plant is not associated with toxicity effects mostly based on the evaluation of body weight changes, haematological and serum biochemical parameters [9,13,14], while the effects of the extracts on the histology of liver and kidneys, which were the primary organs involved in the detoxification and excretion of potential toxic substances from the body, were not reported.…”

“…Currently, there is paucity of information on the bioactive compounds, nutritional composition and toxicity effects of C. nutans cultivated in Pahang-Malaysia. Some of the previous studies [3,9] reported the groups of phytochemical compounds (e.g., saponins, glycosides, steroids, flavonoids, etc.) in C. nutans.…”

Methanolic Extract of Clinacanthus nutans Exerts Antinociceptive Activity via the Opioid/Nitric Oxide‐Mediated, but cGMP‐Independent, Pathways

“…The extract (MECN) demonstrated a wide safety margin and is safe for oral consumption up to the dose of 5000 mg/kg while for the chronic oral consumption the dose is up to 2500 mg/kg, all of which did not cause any toxicity, mortality, or body weight changes. From the acute and subchronic toxicities study, the dose range (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for antinociceptive study was determined and decided to be 10-, 20-, and 50-fold reduction of the dose used in acute toxicity study (5000 mg/kg) [ 32 ].…”

Effects of Methanolic Leaf Extract of <em>Clinacanthus nutans</em> on Fatty Acid Composition and Gene Expression in Male Obese Mice

“…Despite all known biological activities in earlier work, empirical evidence that supports its ability to reduce weight and lower blood cholesterol has not been reported. The present study aims to investigate this plant by using doses of methanolic leaf extract of Clinacanthus nutans (MECN) similar to previous research [22,24]. Recent evidence has shown that methanolic leaf extract of Clinacanthus nutans improves lipid profiles in rats [17].…”