Herbal Medicine Research Center, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang 50588, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Molecules. 2012 Apr 10;17(4):4326-42. doi: 10.3390/molecules17044326.
Carica papaya L. leaves have been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of fevers and cancers. Despite its benefits, very few studies on their potential toxicity have been described. The aim of the present study was to characterize the chemical composition of the leaf extract from 'Sekaki' C. papaya cultivar by UPLC-TripleTOF-ESI-MS and to investigate the sub-acute oral toxicity in Sprague Dawley rats at doses of 0.01, 0.14 and 2 g/kg by examining the general behavior, clinical signs, hematological parameters, serum biochemistry and histopathology changes. A total of twelve compounds consisting of one piperidine alkaloid, two organic acids, six malic acid derivatives, and four flavonol glycosides were characterized or tentatively identified in the C. papaya leaf extract. In the sub-acute study, the C. papaya extract did not cause mortality nor were treatment-related changes in body weight, food intake, water level, and hematological parameters observed between treatment and control groups. Some biochemical parameters such as the total protein, HDL-cholesterol, AST, ALT and ALP were elevated in a non-dose dependent manner. Histopathological examination of all organs including liver did not reveal morphological alteration. Other parameters showed non-significant differences between treatment and control groups. The present results suggest that C. papaya leaf extract at a dose up to fourteen times the levels employed in practical use in traditional medicine in Malaysia could be considered safe as a medicinal agent.
番木瓜叶在传统医学中被用于治疗发热和癌症。尽管它有很多益处，但关于其潜在毒性的研究却很少。本研究的目的是通过 UPLC-TripleTOF-ESI-MS 对“塞卡基”番木瓜品种叶提取物的化学成分进行表征，并在 Sprague Dawley 大鼠中以 0.01、0.14 和 2 g/kg 的剂量进行亚急性口服毒性试验，通过观察一般行为、临床症状、血液学参数、血清生化和组织病理学变化来研究其潜在毒性。共鉴定或推测出 12 种化合物，包括 1 种哌啶生物碱、2 种有机酸、6 种苹果酸衍生物和 4 种类黄酮糖苷，这些化合物存在于番木瓜叶提取物中。在亚急性研究中，番木瓜提取物没有引起死亡率，也没有观察到体重、食物摄入量、饮水量和血液学参数在治疗组和对照组之间发生与治疗相关的变化。一些生化参数如总蛋白、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、AST、ALT 和 ALP 呈非剂量依赖性升高。对所有器官包括肝脏的组织病理学检查没有显示出形态改变。其他参数在治疗组和对照组之间没有显著差异。本研究结果表明，番木瓜叶提取物在剂量高达马来西亚传统医学实际应用剂量的 14 倍时，可被视为安全的药用制剂。
