Toxicity of chloroform extract of Prunus africana stem bark in rats: gross and histological lesions

Abstract

Chloroform extract of Prunus africana (Hook f. (Rosaceae) did not cause clinical signs or pathology in rats at daily oral doses of up to 1,000 mg/kg for 8 weeks. The extract caused marked clinical signs, organ damage and a 50% mortality rate at a dose of 3.3 g/kg for 6 days. The main lesions observed at this dose were marked centrilobular hepatocellular degeneration and necrosis, diffuse nephrosis, myocardial degeneration, lymphocytic necrosis and neuronal degeneration. The morphological damage in these tissues caused a corresponding rise in blood biochemical parameters namely, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase and blood urea nitrogen. The target organs of toxicity of this extract are the liver, kidney and heart. Overt toxicity occurred only after the administration of multiple doses of 3.3 g/kg body weight. These findings confirm the suitability of this extract for therapeutic use, since the doses used in the therapy of prostate gland are much lower than those used in this study and would therefore not be expected to cause pathological changes.

Short‐term toxicity studies of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae) leaf extract in rats

“…Hence, a dose of 500 mg kg )1 used in this study represents five times the traditional dose of FT and may therefore not be ethnomedicinally applicable. This may be an important point in assessing the suitability of FT for future therapeutic uses (Gathumbi et al, 2002). Moreover, the diets were well tolerated by the treated rats, suggesting that FT might not have adversely affected the nutritional benefits (e.g.…”

“…Hence, a dose of 500 mg kg −1 used in this study represents five times the traditional dose of FT and may therefore not be ethnomedicinally applicable. This may be an important point in assessing the suitability of FT for future therapeutic uses (Gathumbi et al. , 2002).…”

Blood Parameters and Liver Enzymes Levels as Index of Metabolic Changes in Response to Citrus aurantifolia

“…Phytochemicals like synephine and octopamine are known to exhibit weight loss properties. These monoterpenes have been investigated to inhibit free radicals attaches on biomenbrane (Gathumbi et al, 2002). High amount of synephine has been reported to have significantly increased systolic and mean arterial pressure (Zimmerman, 2000).These enzymes are part of the body's protection against harmful substances.…”

Phytosterol Pygeum africanum regulates prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo

“…Many compounds have been identified including fatty acids, sterols (B-Sitosterol and Campesterol) and pentcyclic triterpenoids [11]. B-Sitosterol, as one of the marker compounds for Pygeum africanum, has been tested for its ability to inhibit the growth of both PC-3 and LNCaP cells [32,33].…”

“…In the USA, phytotherapeutic preparations containing Pygeum africanum and Saw palmetto are increasingly being marketed for the health of the prostate including prostate cancer prevention and treatment [9,10]. Phytochemical investigations aimed at isolating the active ingredients of Pygeum africanum have identified many compounds including fatty acids, sterols (B-Sitosterol and Campesterol) and pentacyclic triterpenoids [11]. Multicenter clinical trials have been done to study the role of Pygeum africanum in prevention and treatment of BPH [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]; however one study on the mechanism of action of Pygeum africanum in prostate cancer has been described [23].…”