Toxicity Studies and Phytochemical Screening of Aqueous Extract of Cissus aralioides Plant

Abstract

Toxicity investigation are employed in animal models to examine the dose level for the treatment of different disease for drug efficiency while phytochemicals are naturally occurring components found in medicinal plants containing varying colour, flavor and smell which serves for plant’s natural defense system. This study examined toxicity studies and phytochemical screening of aqueous extract of Cissus aralioides plant. The phytochemical assay was screened for alkaloid, saponin, tannin, flavonoid, steroid, terpenoid, cardiac glycoside, proteins and reducing sugar in plant extract of C. aralioides with standard procedure. Eighteen (18) of the animals were used for LD50 study of Cissus aralioides using Lork’s method. Results of phytochemical screening of aqueous leaf extract revealed the presence of alkaloid, flavonoid, proteins, reducing sugar, saponin, terpenoid and cardiac glycoside. The acute toxicity showed LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. Hence, the aqueous leaf extract of C. aralioides is relatively safe when administered through oral route in the wistar rats.