Evaluation of in vivo toxicity of selected Nigerian medicinal plants used against viral diseases

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Purpose: To evaluate the subchronic toxicity of four plants frequently used in Nigerian ethnomedicine to treat various viral infections. Methods: Andrographis paniculata, Artemisia annua, Annona muricata, and Bryophyllum pinnatum extracts were assessed for their subchronic toxic effect in albino rats (Sprague-Dawley strain). Each extract was administered orally at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight once daily for 28 days, and the biochemical and haematological parameters of the animals were evaluated. The average body weights of the rats were taken before and after the treatment, after which they were sacrificed under chloroform anaesthesia. Blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture and were used to assess for toxicity markers (lipid profile, liver and renal function parameters, and haematological indices). Results: The sub-chronic administration of these plants, especially Annona muricata and Bryophyllum pinnatum, caused a significant decrease in body weight, an increase in blood glucose and liver enzymes (Alkaline phosphatase and Alanine aminotransferase), and a decrease in hematocrit (HCT) and platelet (PLT) count (p < 0.05). A. paniculata extract was shown to tend to cause dislipidaemia due to the significant increase in serum levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings from the study show that the extracts altered toxicological indices in a dose-dependent manner. Hence, caution is needed in the long-term use of these plant extracts.

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