Genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity studies of a standardized methanolic extract of Ficus deltoidea leaves

OBJECTIVE

Ficus deltoidea leaves have been used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia to treat diabetes, inflammation, diarrhea, and infections. The present study was conducted to assess the genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity of a standardized methanol extract of F. deltoidea leaves.

METHODS

Sprague Dawley rats were orally treated with five different single doses of the extract and screened for signs of toxicity for two weeks after administration. In the subchronic study, three different doses of the extract were administered for 28 days. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, hematological and biochemical parameters, gross findings, organ weights, and histological parameters were monitored during the study. Genotoxicity was assessed using the Ames test with the TA98 and TA100 Salmonella typhimurium strains. Phytochemical standardization was performed using a colorimeter and high-performance liquid chromatography. Heavy metal detection was performed using an atomic absorption spectrometer.

RESULTS

The acute toxicity study showed that the LD50 of the extract was greater than 5000 mg/kg. In the subchronic toxicity study, there were no significant adverse effects on food consumption, body weight, organ weights, mortality, clinical chemistry, hematology, gross pathology, or histopathology. However, a dose-dependent increase in the serum urea level was observed. The Ames test revealed that the extract did not have any potential to induce gene mutations in S. typhimurium, either in the presence or absence of S9 activation. Phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed high contents of phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed high levels of vitexin and isovitexin in the extract, and the levels of heavy metals were below the toxic levels.

CONCLUSION

The no-observed adverse effect level of F. deltoidea in rats was determined to be 2500 mg/kg.

Single oral toxicity assessment and phytochemical analysis of the Ficus erecta Thunb. Leaves extract

Ficus erecta Thunb. is a traditional medicinal plant used to treat various diseases in Asian countries. We recently reported the potential of the ethanol extract of F. erecta Thunb. leaves (EEFE) as a source of functional foods for cognitive improvement. However, there is insufficient scientific evidence supporting the safety of EEFE. In this study, we performed an acute oral toxicity test using Sprague-Dawley rats following Good Laboratory Practice regulations to assess the possible toxicity of EEFE. After single oral administration of EEFE at a maximum dose of 5000 mg/kg, the mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, and gross findings were monitored for 2 weeks. No mortality was observed, and EEFE had no adverse effects on body weight or gross findings in all EEFE-administered rats. On the first day after administration, EEFE-colored stool was observed in both male and female groups. However, these symptoms were considered to be transient, caused by the color of the test substance. Overall, the approximate lethal dose of EEFE was determined to be over 5000 mg/kg in the acute toxicity test. Additionally, we established and validated a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-based analytical method for the quality control of EEFE using rutin as a marker compound. The method showed excellent linearity, accuracy, repeatability, and precision. The findings of this study could serve as fundamental data for ensuring the safety and standardization of EEFE.