Safety Assessment of the Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Launaea Taraxacifolia (Willd) of the Family Asteraceae in Rodents
Loading...
Date
2012-08-15
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Launaea taraxacifolia is a very important herb used as medicine and / or food in the West African Sub-region. This study therefore investigated its safety in rodents. Administration of the extract (10-5000 mg/kg) to mice and rats in acute and sub-acute toxicity studies did not have any negative effect on the physical, haematological and serum biochemical parameters assessed. However, serum creatinine and urea were significantly decreased in extract-treated animals compared to the vehicle treated control group indicating possible reno-protective ability. The liver was not affected by treatment with the extract. The reno-protective effect of the extract was investigated against gentamicin sulphate (GS)-induced nephrotoxicity (160 mg/kg, i.p). Plasma creatinine, urea, total protein, electrolyte and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased significantly as a result of gentamicin treatment but these increases were reversed by treatment with the extract. Photomicrographs of the kidney showed less damage in the extract-treated groups especially at higher doses indicating a possible protective effect of the extract on the kidney. In a pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time experiment the extract (1000 and 2000 mg/kg) shortened sleep latency and increased the duration of sleeping time significantly in mice but not in rats. Similarly, treatment with the extract for 14 days shortened sleep latency and increased the duration of sleeping time at 2000 mg/kg significantly. The extract at 300 and 1000 mg/kg, p.o. given for 7 days did not cause any significant difference in the levels of hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes but caused significant decrease in spontaneous locomotor activity in mice at higher doses. Treatment with the extract at (1, 2, 5 and 10 mg/kg,
p.o.), showed a possible antidiarrhoeal property. In castor oil-induced defecation, enteropooling and intestinal transit, there were statistically significant decrease shown in defecation and small intestinal transit but not in enteropooling compared to the vehicle-treated control groups. The remarkable antidiarrhoeal effect showed in small intestinal transit and castor oil-induced defecation shows that it could be useful in the management of diarrhoea.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Pharmaceutics