In vivo and in silico studies of Dennettia tripetala essential oil reveal the potential harmful effects of habitual consumption of the plant seed

Acute and subacute toxicological evaluation of the ethanol leaf extract of Morus mesozygia stapf. (Moraceae) in rodents

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Traditionally, the Morus mesozygia tree leaf has been used to manage maladies such as peptic ulcer, hyperglycemia, dermatitis, rheumatism, stomach-ache, arthritis, cough, malignancies, and malaria in parts of Africa.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The study aimed to evaluate the potential of ethanol leaf extract of Morus mesozygia (EEMm) to induce toxicity by employing both acute and sub-acute oral toxicity experimental models.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The extract's cytotoxicity was studied using brine shrimps (Artemia salina) lethality assay (BSLA), while in the acute toxicity test, male and female mice were administered a single oral dose of EEMm (2000 mg/kg). Male and female Wistar rats received repeated doses of 100 or 500 mg/kg EEMm orally for 28 days in the sub-acute toxicity experiment. The phytochemical analysis of EEMm was done using the HPLC.

RESULTS

The BSLA revealed a moderate cytotoxic potential of the extract, with an LC50 of 567.13 ± 0.27 μg/mL. All the animals survived the acute toxicity test, with no significant changes in the relative organ weights, suggesting that LD50 is greater than 2000 mg/kg. The animal weights did not vary significantly in the sub-acute toxicity test neither were the alterations in biochemical and hematological tests pronounced, although the histoarchitectures of the kidney, liver and spleen indicated slight anomalies in the evaluated animals. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of quercetin, ferulic acid, rutin, caffeic acid, morin and gallic acid.

CONCLUSIONS

Ethanol leaf extract of Morus mesozygia demonstrated a safe toxicity profile in rodents, supporting its broad folkloric use in African ethnomedicine.

Toxicological Effects of Copaiba Oil (Copaifera spp.) and Its Active Components

Vegetable oils are among the most important traditional resources of Amazonia. Oleoresins are a type of oil that have interesting characteristics and highly bioactive properties with pharmacological potential. Oleoresins produced in the trunks of Copaifera (Fabaceae) spp. trees, known as copaiba oils, are made up of terpenes from the sesquiterpene (volatile) and diterpene (resinous) classes, but in amounts that vary between species and depending on several factors, such as soil type. Despite being used for medicinal purposes, via topical and oral application, the toxic effects of copaiba oils and their constituents are little known. The current paper reviews the toxicological studies, both in vitro and in vivo, described in the literature for copaiba oils, as well as the cytotoxic characteristics (against microorganisms and tumor cells) in in silico, in vitro and in vivo models for the sesquiterpenes and diterpenes that make up these oils.