Toxicological evaluation of Isosecotanapartholide from Artemisia vulgaris L.: oral acute and sub-acute toxicity in BALB/c mice.

Isosecotanapartholide (ISTP) isolated from Artemisia vulgaris, having fumigant property, was tested for acute and sub-acute toxicity in BALB/c mice. The male and female BALB/c mice were given ISTP orally for 7 days at doses of 200, 800 and 1600 mg/kg body weight (bw) for the acute toxicity assay. For sub-acute toxicity test, ISTP was given orally for 14 days at doses of 50 and 500 mg/kg bw. The general appearance, behaviour, weight gain, water intake and feed intake, relative organ weight, haematological indices, histopathological sections and biochemical markers were examined. In the study, ISTP at doses up to 1600 mg/kg bw in acute and 500 mg/kg bw in sub-acute studies, the vital organs like heart, kidney, uterus and testis revealed no adverse effects and mortality. Both acute and sub-acute toxicity assays show that Isosecotanapartholide is safe in mammalian system and can be used as an effective natural substitute for synthetic insecticides.