Acute oral toxicity assessment and anti-hyperuricemic activity of Alocasia longiloba extracts on Sprague-Dawley rats

Abstract

Hyperuricemia is defined as a metabolic abnormality that occurs when serum uric acid (UA) level is abnormally high in the body. We previously reported that <i>A. longiloba</i> possesses various important phytochemicals and <i>in vitro</i> xanthine oxidase activity. Despite <i>A. longiloba</i> ethnomedicinal benefits, its toxicity and anti-hyperuricemic effects have not been reported. The present study was carried out to ensure the safety and investigate the anti-hyperuricemic effects of <i>A. longiloba</i> fruit and petiole ethanolic extracts on rats. In the acute toxicity study, extracts were orally administered at a dose of 2000 mg/kg bodyweight and closely monitored for 2-week for any toxicity effects. The rats were then sacrificed and samples were collected and analyzed for hematological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters. The anti-hyperuricemic effect of <i>A. longiloba</i> fruit or petiole extract was investigated through determination of UA levels on potassium oxonate (PO)-induced hyperuricemic rats. Extracts or standard drug treatments were orally administrated 1-h after PO administration for 14-day. Animals were euthanized and samples were collected for further experiments. The toxicity results show, no significant changes were observed in behavioral, bodyweight changes in experimental groups compared to the control. Moreover, there were no significant changes in hematological, biochemical, and histological parameters between extracts treated and control group. In the anti-hyperuricemia study, the fruit and petiole extracts treatments significantly reduced the level of UA in serum compared to the hyperuricemic model group. This study demonstrated that the extracts of <i>A. longiloba</i> have anti-hyperuricemic activity and was found to be non-toxic to rats in acute toxicity test.