Laboratory of Microbiology and Antimicrobial Substances, University of Dschang, Po Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Sep 1;137(1):70-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.032. Epub 2011 May 30.
Pteleopsis hylodendron is one of the most popular medicinal plants in Cameroon where it is used to treat measles, chickenpox, sexually transmitted diseases, female sterility, liver and kidney disorders as well as dropsy. To date there is no documented evidence corroborating its safety. This study thus aimed to determine the toxicity profile of the methanolic extract of Pteleopsis hylodendron.
The acute and sub-chronic toxicity of the methanolic extract of Pteleopsis hylodendron were investigated by employing established methods. The acute toxicity study was done by administering single doses (2-8 g/kg body weight) of plant extract to adult mice. For the sub chronic toxicity study, doses (85-680 mg/kg bw) of plant extract were administered daily to adult rats during 28 days after which the effect on organs, the hematological and biochemical parameters was assessed.
In mice, single oral administrations of the methanolic extract of Pteleopsis hylodendron caused dose-dependent general behaviour adverse effects and mortality. The LD50 values were 3.00 and 3.60 g/kg bw for males and females respectively. In rats, daily single oral doses of the methanolic extract of Pteleopsis hylodendron provoked significant (p < 0.05) growth retardation in rats at all tested doses after 28 days of dosing. Haematological parameters showed a significant decrease in white blood cells count and significant increases red blood cells count; irrespective of the sex, all biochemical parameters studied, except triglycerides significantly (p < 0.001) increased with dose. However, a dose-dependent significant (p < 0.007) increase in HDL was observed only in male rats. Increases in liver enzymes (ALT and AST), proteins and creatinine levels correlate the observed histopathological damages (i.e. inflammation and vascular congestions) in the liver and kidneys.
The overall results of this study indicate that the methanolic extract of Pteleopsis hylodendron stem bark possesses hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects at doses ≥ 85 mg/kg bw, suggesting that this plant should be used with caution.
糙叶树是喀麦隆最受欢迎的药用植物之一，用于治疗麻疹、水痘、性传播疾病、女性不育、肝肾疾病以及水肿。迄今为止，没有记录证明其安全性。因此，本研究旨在确定糙叶树甲醇提取物的毒性特征。
采用已建立的方法研究糙叶树甲醇提取物的急性和亚慢性毒性。急性毒性研究通过给予成年小鼠单剂量（2-8 g/kg 体重）的植物提取物来进行。对于亚慢性毒性研究，在 28 天内，每天给予成年大鼠 85-680 mg/kg bw 的植物提取物剂量，然后评估对器官、血液学和生物化学参数的影响。
在小鼠中，糙叶树甲醇提取物单次口服给药会引起剂量依赖性的一般行为不良反应和死亡。雄性和雌性的 LD50 值分别为 3.00 和 3.60 g/kg bw。在大鼠中，在 28 天的给药后，糙叶树甲醇提取物的每日单次口服剂量会引起所有测试剂量的大鼠生长明显迟缓。血液学参数显示白细胞计数显著降低，红细胞计数显著增加；无论性别如何，除了甘油三酯外，所有研究的生化参数均显著（p < 0.001）随剂量增加而增加。然而，仅在雄性大鼠中观察到高密度脂蛋白（HDL）剂量依赖性显著增加（p < 0.007）。肝酶（ALT 和 AST）、蛋白质和肌酐水平的升高与肝脏和肾脏中观察到的组织病理学损伤（即炎症和血管充血）相关。
本研究的总体结果表明，糙叶树树皮甲醇提取物在剂量≥85 mg/kg bw 时具有肝毒性和肾毒性作用，表明该植物应谨慎使用。
