Studies on the toxicological effect of the aqueous extract of the fresh,dried and boiled berries of Solanum aculeastrum Dunal in male Wistar rats

Abstract

The toxicological effect of the aqueous extract of fresh, dried and boiled berries of Solanum aculeastrum Dunal at 1, 10 and 25 mg/kg body weight was investigated in male Wistar rats for 28 days. The parameters used were the body weight of the animals and absolute weights of the organs, haematological parameters, renal and liver functional endpoints. The animals gained appreciable weight and showed no signs of clinical toxicity. The dried (DB), boiled dried (BDB), fresh (FB) and boiled fresh berry (BFB) extracts reduced (p < .05) the heart-, liver-and spleen-body weight ratio of the animals whereas that of the lung was not altered. The kidney and testes-body weight ratios were specifically altered by the different extract. All these were not accompanied by any histomorphological changes. The extracts did not alter (p > .05) the levels of RBC, Hb, PCV and albumin of the animals. The platelets were decreased by the DB and FB whereas BFB increased this parameter. The FB and BFB at all the doses also reduced the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of the animals. With the exception of the FB where the creatinine and chloride levels decreased, other extracts did not alter the level of these kidney parameters. Only FB increased the levels of uric acid and urea. All the extract decreased the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of the animal. The levels of total protein, globulin, total and conjugated bilirubin were not altered by DB and BDB whereas these indices were increased by FB and BFB. The DB and BDB increased the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity whereas FB decreased the activity of the enzyme. In contrast, DB and BDB decreased the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity of the animals whereas FB and BFB increased the activity of the enzyme. The FB and BFB also increased the levels of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus of the animals. Overall, the alterations in the biochemical parameters by the various extracts of S. aculeastrum berries at these doses indicated that the normal functioning of these organs may be adversely affected. However, drying and boiling might reduce the toxic effect of the berries.

Keywords

Solanum aculeastrum solanaceae hepatotoxic haematotoxic nephrotoxic

References

Leonardo DCL , Franco A. , Gustavo ATL , et al. Toxicological evaluation by in vitro and in vivo assays of an aqueous extract prepared from Echinodorus macrophyllus leaves. Toxicol Lett 2000; 116: 189-198.

Chang IM Toxicity of herbal drugs. International Forum on Research and Development for Procedures. In: Chang IM , Park CW (eds.) Korean Soc. Toxicol, 1987, p.243-257.

O’Hara M. , Kiefer D. , Farrel K. , Kemper K. A review of 12 commonly used industrial herbs . Arch Family Med 1998; 7: 523-536.

Watt JM , Breyer-Brandwijk MG The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa: being an account of their medicinal and other uses, chemical composition, pharmacological effects and toxicology in man and animals. Edinburg: E and S Livingstone (Ltd), 1962; p.990.

Wanyonyi AW , Sumesh CC , Gerald M. , Udo E. , Wilson MN Bioactive steroidal alkaloid glycosides from Solanum aculeastrum. Phytochemistry 2002; 59: 79-84.

Koduru S. , Grierson DS , Afolayan AJ Antimicrobial activity of Solanum aculeastrum. Pharm Biol 2006; 44: 283-286.

Koduru S. , Grierson DS , van de Venter M. , Afolayan AJ In vitro antitumor activity of Solanum aculeastrum berries on three carcinoma cells. Int J Cancer Res 2006; 2: 397-402.

Koduru S. , Grierson DS , Aderogba MA , Eloff JN , Afolayan AJ Antioxidant activity of Solanum aculeastrum (Solanaceae) berries. Int J Pharmacol 2006; 2: 262-264.

Drews FE , Van Staden J. Aspects of the extraction and purification of solasodine from Solanum aculeastrum tissues. Phytochem Anal 1995; 6: 203-206.

10.

Koduru S. , Grierson DS , Afolayan AJ Anticancer activity of steroid alkaloids isolated from Solanum aculeastrum . Pharm Biol 2007; 45: 613-618.

11.

Koduru S. , Grierson DS , Afolayan AJ Ethnobotanical information of medicinal plants used for the treatment of cancer in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Curr Sci 2007; 92: 906-908.

12.

Agnew ADQ , Agnew S. Upland Kenya wild flowers. A flora of the ferns and herbaceous flowering plants of upland Kenya. Nairobi: East Africa Natural History Society, 1994.

13.

Yakubu MT , Akanji MA , Oladiji AT Aphrodisiac potentials of aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis (Schweinf. Ex Heirn) stem in male albino rats. Asian J Androl 2005; 7(4): 399-404.

14.

Yakubu MT , Akanji MA , Oladiji AT Effect of oral administration of aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis stem on some testicular function indices of male rats. J Ethnopharmacol . 2008; 111: 288-292.

15.

Tietz NW Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests (3rd edn). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company , 1995, p.1-997.

16.

Krause WJ The art of examining and interpreting histologic preparations. A student handbook . Lancaster, UK: Parthenon Publishing Group, 2001, p.9-10.

17.

Drury RAB , Wallington EA Carleton’s Histological Technique (4th edn). New York: Oxford University Press , 1973, p.58.

18.

Raza M. , Al-Shabanah OA , El-Hadiyah TM , Al-Majed AA Effect of prolonged vigabatrin treatment on hematological and biochemical parameters in plasma, liver and kidney of Swiss albino mice. Scientia Pharmaceutica 2002; 70: 135-145.

19.

Teo S. , Stirling D. , Thomas S. , Hoberman A. , Kiorpes A. , Khetani V. A 90-day oral gavage toxicity study of D-methylphanidate and D L-methylphenidate in Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicol 2002; 179: 183-196.

20.

Oladiji AT , Jacob TO , Yakubu MT Anti-anaemic potentials of aqueous extract of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench stem bark in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2007; 111: 651-656.

21.

Olson H. , Betton G. , Robinson D. , et al. Concordance of the toxicity of pharmaceuticals in humans and in animals Regulatory Toxicol Pharmacol, 2000 ; 32: 56-67.

22.

Adebayo OJ , Adesokan AA , Olatunji LA , Buoro DO , Soladoye AO Effect of ethanolic extract of Bougainvillea spectabilis leaves on haematological and serum lipid variables in rats. Biokemistri , 2005; 17: 45.

23.

Swenson MJ , Reece WO Duke’s physiology of domestic animals. 11th ed. Ithaca, NJ: Cornell University Press, 1993, p. 962.

24.

Jesse B. Animal anatomy and physiology. Reston, USA: Reston Publishing Company. Inc, 1982, p.521.

25.

Rasekh HR , Nazari P. , Kamil-Nejad M. , Hosseinzaden L. Acute and subchronic toxicity of Galega officinalis in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2008; 116: 21-26.

26.

Woodman DD Assessment of hepatotoxicity. In: GO Evans (ed.) Animal clinical chemistry, a primer for toxicologists . London: Taylor and Francis, 1996, p.71-86.

27.

Reichling, JJ , Kaplan MM Clinical use of serum enzymes in liver disease . Dig Dis Sci 1988; 33: 1601-1614.