Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Subacute Oral Toxicity Assessment of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach and Thonn) Müll Arg (Euphorbiaceae) Extract in Rats

Charles Ansah , Emmanuel Oppong, Eric Woode

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana;

For correspondence:- Charles Ansah Email: cansah.pharm@knust.edu.gh Tel:+233051 60372

Received: 21 October 2010 Accepted: 26 August 2011 Published: 23 October 2011

Citation: Ansah C, Oppong E, Woode E. Subacute Oral Toxicity Assessment of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach and Thonn) Müll Arg (Euphorbiaceae) Extract in Rats. Trop J Pharm Res 2011; 10(5):587-594 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v10i5.7

© 2011 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To assess Alchornea cordifolia, a medicinal plant with numerous biological actions and uses in traditional medicine, for possible toxicity in rats.

Methods: The probable effect of the ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia (250 - 2000 mg/kg, p.o.) by gavage was evaluated on blood cellular elements and chemistry, as well as on the weight and histology of vital organs of male adult Spraque-Dawley rats.

Results: Daily administration of the extract for two weeks did not cause significant changes in most haematological indices and blood chemistry. However, a dose-dependent increase (p < 0.01) in neutrophils was observed. Relative organ weights were comparable in control and treated groups. Histopathological assessment of liver sections of treated-rats showed normal architecture at doses < 1000 mg/kg. However, in animals treated with 1000 and 2000 mg/kg, cloudy swelling of hepatocytes with vacuolar and hydropic degeneration were evident. Kidney architecture at all dose levels was normal.

Conclusion: The results of the study show that administration of the ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia to male adult rats by gavage evoked histopathologic changes in the liver at doses > 1000 mg/kg. These findings call for caution in the use of Alchornea cordifolia especially in high doses.

Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, Rats, Subacute oral toxicity, Neutrophils, Hepatocytes, Hydropic denegeration