Abdullahi Murtala, Magaji Shehu Yakubu, Ibrahim Zainab Gambo, Yunusa Suleiman, John Agbo, Muhammad Ibrahim, Muhammad Yusuf Abubakar, Malami Sani, Chedi Basheer Zubairu
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria.
Pan Afr Med J. 2023 Dec 28;46:118. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.118.37339. eCollection 2023.
Terminalia catappa (T. catappa) leaves are used in the treatment of hypertension, diabetes, cough, jaundice, indigestion etc, while the bark is used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, abscesses etc. Due to the acceptance and increased use of medicinal plants in pregnancy, there is a need to evaluate their toxicological profiles in pregnancy for safe use. This study aims to evaluate the toxicological effects of aqueous leaf extract of T. catappa in pregnant rats.
acute toxicity study was carried out using Organization of Economic Corporation Development (OECD) 423 guidelines. Seventy-five rats (50 females and 25 males) were used at the age of 2 weeks just after weaning. The male rats were separated from the female rats in different cages and allowed to mature for 10 weeks. Then the rats were allowed to mate. After mating, 20 female rats with viable spermatozoa counts were selected and divided into 4 groups of 5 rats each (n=5). The control group received distilled water while the treatment groups II, III, and IV were administered with aqueous leaf extract of T. catappa orally at graded doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg respectively for 21 consecutive days. The daily food and water intake, and weight were recorded. On the 22 day, the rats were anesthetized by chloroform inhalation, and blood samples were collected for haematological and biochemical analysis. The maternal livers, kidneys, and hearts were collected and weighed, and histological studies were carried out. The fetuses were removed and examined. An isolated tissue experiment was carried out on the myometrium of the pregnant rat uterus. The isometric reading of the uterine contractions was recorded.
the oral LD was found to be ≤2000-5000 mg/kg. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the mean food intake at the 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg doses of the extract used on the 14 and 21 days when compared to the 7 day. The renal function test showed a significant (p<0.05) increase for chloride. The liver function test revealed that the extract at 100 mg/kg dose, significantly (p<0.05) increased only Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) liver enzyme, while at 200 mg/kg dose, only AST liver enzyme was significantly (p<0.05) increased, while at 400 mg/kg dose, ALT, AST, ALP, and albumin increased significantly (p<0.05) when compared to the control group. There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the relative organ weight of the liver at 400 mg/kg dose of the extract. The liver histology showed moderate hepatic vacuolation and necrosis, while the histology of the kidney showed slight tubular necrosis.
this study has shown that the aqueous leaf extract of T. catappa is relatively not safe in the pregnant rats. Although it is non-toxic to the fetus, it exhibited tocolytic effect by inhibiting uterine contractions, thus it should be used with caution during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester or during labor.
榄仁树（Terminalia catappa）叶可用于治疗高血压、糖尿病、咳嗽、黄疸、消化不良等，而其树皮可用于治疗腹泻、痢疾、脓肿等。由于药用植物在孕期的使用日益广泛且被接受，因此有必要评估其在孕期的毒理学特征以确保安全使用。本研究旨在评估榄仁树叶水提取物对妊娠大鼠的毒理学影响。
按照经济合作与发展组织（OECD）423 指南进行急性毒性研究。选用 75 只大鼠（50 只雌性和 25 只雄性），于断奶后 2 周龄时使用。将雄性大鼠与雌性大鼠分笼饲养，使其成熟 10 周。然后让大鼠交配。交配后，挑选出 20 只精子活力正常的雌性大鼠，分为 4 组，每组 5 只（n = 5）。对照组给予蒸馏水，治疗组 II、III 和 IV 分别以 100、200 和 400 mg/kg 的梯度剂量口服榄仁树叶水提取物，连续给药 21 天。记录每日食物和水摄入量以及体重。在第 22 天，通过吸入氯仿对大鼠进行麻醉，采集血样进行血液学和生化分析。收集母体的肝脏、肾脏和心脏并称重，进行组织学研究。取出胎儿并进行检查。对妊娠大鼠子宫的子宫肌层进行离体组织实验。记录子宫收缩的等长读数。
经口半数致死量（LD）≤2000 - 5000 mg/kg。与第 7 天相比，在第 14 天和第 21 天使用 100、200 和 400 mg/kg 剂量提取物时，平均食物摄入量显著增加（p < 0.05）。肾功能测试显示氯化物显著增加（p < 0.05）。肝功能测试表明，100 mg/kg 剂量的提取物仅使碱性磷酸酶（ALP）肝酶显著增加（p < 0.05），而在 200 mg/kg 剂量时，仅天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）肝酶显著增加（p < 0.05），在 400 mg/kg 剂量时与对照组相比，谷丙转氨酶（ALT）、AST、ALP 和白蛋白均显著增加（p < 0.05）。在 400 mg/kg 剂量提取物时，肝脏相对器官重量显著降低（p < 0.05）。肝脏组织学显示中度肝空泡化和坏死，而肾脏组织学显示轻微肾小管坏死。
本研究表明榄仁树叶水提取物对妊娠大鼠相对不安全。虽然它对胎儿无毒，但通过抑制子宫收缩表现出了安胎作用，因此在孕期应谨慎使用，尤其是在孕晚期或分娩期间。
