Acute and Sub-Acute Oral Toxicity Studies of an Aqueous Extract of Chrysanthellum americanum (L.) Vatke (Asteraceae) in Rodents

Abstract

Chrysanthellum americanum is a medicinal plant widely used in the North region of Cameroon for the treatment of epilepsy and convulsion. This study aimed to investigate the acute and subacute toxicity of the aqueous extract of C. americanum using experimental rodent models. For the acute toxicity test, a single dose of 27.69, 69.22, 138.45, 276.9 and 5000 mg/kg of extract was administered orally to mice. In the subacute study, the extract was administered orally to rats at the doses of 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day for 28 days; and finally, biochemical, haematological, and histological analysis were performed. The highest dose of the aqueous extract (5000 mg/kg) administered orally in the acute toxicity did not induce mortality. However, at the dose of 1000 mg/kg in the sub-acute treatment, an increase in white blood cell and platelet levels were observed in the haematological parameters. A slight decrease in the cholesterol and hepatic enzyme (ALAT, ASAT) levels for the biochemical parameters was noticed compared to the control group. From this study, it can be concluded that C. americanum can be considered safe in oral administration at the dose tested since it did not cause lethality or undesirable effects in the general behaviour.