SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF AN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL HERB, MOTANDRA PANICULATA (POIR) I.M. TURNER (APOCYNACEAE) LEAF CRUDE ETHANOL EXTRACT IN RATS
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Abstract
Background Motandra paniculata (Poir.) I.M. Turner (Apocynaceae) is used traditionally in some African communities to treat nervous disorders and malaria fever. It has also been reported in literature to have antiproliferative activity. This may increase the use of this plant in local populations and a paucity of information on its toxicity profile thus calls for its investigation. The study was undertaken to carry out a 30-day safety assessment of repeated use of the crude ethanol leaf extract (MPLE) of the plant.
Methods Three doses of MPLE was given to adult albino rats at 3 doses (50, 100, 200 mg/kg). Biochemical parameters from plasma, haematological parameters from blood, histopathological and in vivo antioxidant parameters were obtained from tissue samples and statistically compared using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Dunnett post hoc comparison.
Results Findings show that there was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in body weight of the animals, organ weight of animals, biochemical parameters (except non-consequent ALP fluctuations), haematological parameters (apart from red blood cell count consistent with observations from a recent sub-acute toxicity study), histological characteristics of brain, liver, kidney and heart tissues isolated from the animals after oral administration of the extract and no marked changes in the levels of antioxidant parameters in the studied organs (except in the heart).
Conclusion These observations corroborate the relative safety of Motandra paniculata from previous studies due to the repeated safe oral administration of MPLE in rats.
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