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Introduction: Waltheria indica Linn (Malvaceae) is a widely distributed plant in West Africa. It is commonly used in Burkina Faso to treat inflammation-related diseases, including asthma. Previous reviews have focused on the ethnobotanical, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Waltheria indica. This report aims to compile the biological and pharmacological activities that highlight the anti-asthmatic properties of Waltheria indica L. (W. indica). Method: Electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Hinari, SciFinder, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, were used to gather data on Watheria indica. Data on the toxicological, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and bronchorelaxant effects of W. indica were collected. Results: Twenty-three studies describing the biological and pharmacological activities relevant to assessing the anti-asthmatic properties of W. indica were found. Nine articles investigated the anti-inflammatory effects, and three manuscripts were found to have bronchorelaxant activity. Five publications reported the antioxidant activity of the plant extracts. Research on the extracts revealed a tolerable safety profile in rats and mice with an LD50 ranging from 300 to 5000 mg/kg body weight, depending on the parts of the plant used. Phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins, were found to be responsible for the activities involved in the assessment of anti-asthmatic properties. Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that W. indica could be a valuable resource for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory diseases. However, further chemical and pharmacological investigations are needed to understand its mechanism of action in treating asthma.
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Background: Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich). Hochst, popularly known as Morula, is a plant in the Anacardiaceae family. The bark, fruits, and leaves have traditionally been used to manage a variety of health conditions, most especially diabetes. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of data and publications on the toxicity and safety of this plant. Purpose: The current study was designed to assess the acute and chronic toxicity of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Sclerocarya birrea in albino rats. Materials and Methods: Sclerocarya birrea was extracted using an 80-20% hydro-ethanolic solution. For the acute toxicity study, female Wistar albino rats were treated with hydro-ethanolic leaf extract at a dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight and followed-up for 14 days. In the chronic toxicity study, 40 healthy Wistar albino rats were divided in 4 groups. The three treatment groups were administered the leaf hydro-ethanolic extract orally at dosages of 30, 150, and 1000 mg/kg once day for 90 days and the fourth group was a control group. Body and organs weights, haematological, serum biochemical, and histopathological parameters were measured at the end of the experiment. Results: Single-dose oral administration of hydro-ethanolic leaf extract of Sclerocarya birrea at 5000 mg/kg produced no mortality indicating the LD50 is greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. Following 90 days of administration of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Sclerocarya birrea leaves, there was no significant change in body and organs weights. Furthermore, biochemical, haematological and histopathological parameters did not vary significantly. Conclusion: This data indicates neither acute or chronic toxicity in rats and is consistent with the widespread and long-term usage of Sclerocarya birrea in African traditional medicine.
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Picralima nitida (Stapf) T. Durand and H. Durand (Apocynaceae), over the years has shown wide range of usage in African folk medicine and its safety profile in instances of prolonged use and pregnancy are major concerns. The study aimed to extensively investigate the toxicological effects of Picralima nitida in albino rodents and make appropriate extrapolations to humans. In the first phase of the experiment which evaluated the genotoxicity and subchronic toxicity of P. nitida, a total of 40 albino rats (male and female) were randomized into 4 groups of 10 animals per group. Group 1 (control group) was orally administered with 10â¯ml/kg of distilled water. Animals in Groups 2 to 4 were administered with aqueous seed extract of the plant at 100, 200, 400â¯mg/kg body weight/day, respectively. Oral administration at the designated doses was continued for 90 days after which they were sacrificed by cervical dislocation for subchronic toxicological assessment. In the genotoxicity phase, 30 female mice were randomized into 5 groups, the control group was treated with 10â¯ml/kg of distilled water, groups 2 to 4, treated with 100â¯mg/kg, 200â¯mg/kg and 400â¯mg/kg doses of extract, and the 5th group had cyclophosphamide (0.1â¯mg/kg). The mice were sacrificed on the 28th day for bone marrow sampling for genotoxicity testing. In the second phase of the experiment which evaluated the teratogenicity of P. nitida, graded doses of the extract were administered to pregnant rats from day 1-19. Three groups of 6 female rats per group were administered 75, 150 and 300â¯mg/kg aqueous extract of P. nitida and a fourth group of 6 rats used as control was administered distilled water at 10â¯ml/kg. On day 20, 3â¯dams from each group were sacrificed and the foetuses were harvested through abdominal incision for physical examination. The 3 remaining dams were allowed to litter. The litters were sacrificed at 6 weeks for biochemical, haematological and histological analyses. The LD50 determined was 707.107â¯mg/kg. The aqueous seed extract of P. nitida was found to be genotoxic at all the test doses. There were no significant alterations in haematologic and renal parameters following subchronic administration. Notable dynamics were observed in hormonal characteristics: there was a significant dose-dependent reduction in FSH while oestradiol and progesterone showed dose-dependent increase. Furthermore, P. nitida may cause hepatopathy as shown by hepatic venous and sinusoidal congestion on hepatic histology. Also, there is non-significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL. No significant alteration in glucose level. Furthermore, the extract produced a statistically significant decrease in birth weight (pâ¯<â¯0.0001). The extract induced a significant (pâ¯<â¯0.05) increase in creatinine and transaminase levels in the first filial of group 150â¯mg/kg. The platelet count was increased in all treated group (pâ¯<â¯0.005). All the histology of kidney in 150â¯mg/kg group showed vascular congestion. In conclusion, the aqueous seed extract of P. nitida has teratogenic effects and should not be used in pregnant women. Also, P. nitida is highly genotoxic and may cause hepatic damage and depletion of glutathione pool on chronic use, thereby causing oxidative stress and its potential sequelae.