article · Toxicology Reports
Five plant extracts traditionally used in Ethiopia to treat urolithiasis were assessed for acute and sub-acute toxicity in female Wistar albino rats. The evaluated ethanolic extracts included Achyranthes aspera leaves, Chenopodium murale leaves, Satureja punctata aerial parts, Rumex abyssinicus rhizomes, and Aloe pulcherrima gel. None of the tested extracts resulted in animal mortality or significant weight loss. However, Chenopodium murale produced significant haematological toxicities, reducing haemoglobin and platelet levels, and caused focal periportal hepatitis in the liver. Rumex abyssinicus and Satureja punctata also led to platelet reductions and mild acute liver injury, whereas Achyranthes aspera decreased creatinine levels and induced mild liver changes. In contrast, Aloe pulcherrima extract displayed no evidence of toxicity, suggesting variable safety profiles among these traditional treatments.
Traditional herbal remedies are widely utilised to treat conditions such as kidney stones, yet their physiological risks are frequently unverified. Establishing toxicological profiles helps identify safe remedies and highlights preparations that can cause liver damage or blood abnormalities. This evidence is essential for guiding safer community use and providing healthcare practitioners and regulators with objective safety benchmarks for indigenous plants.
This research provides early-stage preclinical safety screening of interest to phytopharmaceutical developers and natural product formulation researchers. The findings indicate that Aloe pulcherrima presents an uncompromised safety profile for potential development into antiurolithiatic treatments. Conversely, the remaining extracts require extensive chronic toxicity assessments before consideration. Real-world commercial use remains distant, as subsequent stages require formal efficacy trials, active compound isolation, and long-term safety validation.
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Achyranthes aspera, Chenopodium murale, Satureja punctata, Rumex abyssinicus and Aloe pulcherrima are traditionally used to treat urolithiasis in Ethiopia. However, there are limited reports on toxicity studies. This study was intended to evaluate the acute and sub-acute toxicity effects of plants. The crude extracts of A. aspera and C. murale leaves, S. punctata aerial parts, R. abyssinicus rhizomes, and A. Pulcherrima gel were prepared using 70 % ethanol. In acute toxicity, 125, 500 and 2000 mg/kg were tested in a stepwise manner; whereas 2000 mg/kg administrated to female rats using gavage during sub-acute toxicity. On day 14 and 28, blood samples were collected from retro-orbital sinus; liver and kidneys of each animal were collected under anaesthesia. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Dunnett's comparison test of the Graph Pad Prism. No mortality and significant weight loss for all extracts in both toxicity tests. In acute toxicity, C. murale extract significantly reduced hemoglobin and platelets (P < 0.01) compared with the control. Likewise, S. punctata (P < 0.05) and R. abyssinicus (P < 0.01) extracts revealed significant reduction in platelet count. An exposure to C. murale and R. abyssinicus extracts reduced the concentrations of platelet distribution width and platelet larger cell ratio (p < 0.05) during sub-acute toxicity test. The level of creatinine reduced due to A. aspera extract administrations(P < 0.05). Liver histopathological examinations revealed focal periportal hepatitis following sub-acute toxicity test of C. murale. Histopathological studies of liver demonstrated that R. abyssinicus, A. aspera and S. punctata extracts showed mild acute liver injury. A. pulcherrima was not associated with any toxicity. C. murale extract showed hematological, and histopathological toxicity profiles in rats. Furthermore, chronic toxicity studies of A. aspera, S. punctata and R. abyssinicus extracts would be beneficial to ensure safety.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.10.001
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