Acute and subacute toxicity evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of Caryota urens leaves in Wistar rats

Abstract

Caryota urens native to Srilanka and India grows in tropical and subtropical regions. It is rich in nutrition and show pharmacological properties owing to the presence of flavonoids, coumarins, carbohydrates, and amino acids. However, scientific reports which guarantee the safety of C. urens are not available. Therefore, the intention of the current investigation was to assess the potential toxicity of the hydroalcoholic extract of C. urens leaves (CULHA) in Wistar rats. In acute toxicity study, CULHA was administered at a single oral dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight. In subacute toxicity study, CULHA was administered once a day at three dose levels of 100, 200, and 400 mg/ kg body weight for 28 days. At the end of the treatment, animals were sacrificed; vital organs were removed and examined histopathologically. Blood and serum samples were collected and processed immediately for the analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters. During acute toxicity study, treatment-associated death or manifestation of toxic clinical symptoms were not seen. Furthermore, results of both acute and subacute toxicity group exposed to CULHA did not exhibit significant change in hematology, biochemical parameters, and histopathology. The results demonstrated that CULHA did not possess potential to induce toxicity.

Subacute Toxicity Effects of the Aqueous Shoot Extract of Yushania alpina (K. Schum.) W.C.Lin in Sprague Dawley Rats: An Appraisal of Its Safety in Ethnomedicinal Usage

“…In our study, the body weights of experimental rats treated with the aqueous shoot extract of Y. alpina were comparable to those of the control group rats and increased normally during the experimentation period. These findings demonstrate the nontoxicity of the study extract in Sprague Dawley rats, which may signify safety in humans, as previously reported [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…Serum protein and albumin levels depend on the amount of water in the blood (volemia) and the concentration of specific proteins. Elevated serum protein and albumin levels are associated with dehydration, which may result from inadequate water intake, excessive loss due to excessive vomiting or diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal irritation by infections or toxicants [ 28 ]. In this study, the concentrations of kidney function markers (urea, creatinine, protein, and albumin) in Sprague Dawley rats treated with the aqueous shoot extract of Y. alpina were normal compared to those of the control rats.…”