title: Acute and subchronic toxicity study of Euphorbia hirta L. methanol extract in rats.
abstract: Despite Euphorbia hirta L. ethnomedicinal benefits, very few studies have described the potential toxicity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vivo toxicity of methanolic extracts of E. hirta. The acute and subchronic oral toxicity of E. hirta was evaluated in Sprague Dawley rats. The extract at a single dose of 5,000 mg/kg did not produce treatment related signs of toxicity or mortality in any of the animals tested during the 14-day observation period. Therefore, the LD 50 of this plant was estimated to be more than 5,000 mg/kg. In the repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity study, the administration of 50 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, and 1,000 mg/kg/day of E. hirta extract per body weight revealed no significant difference (P > 0.05) in food and water consumptions, body weight change, haematological and biochemical parameters, relative organ weights, and gross findings compared to the control group. Macropathology and histopathology examinations of all organs including the liver did not reveal morphological alteration. Analyses of these results with the information of signs, behaviour, and health monitoring could lead to the conclusion that the long-term oral administration of E. hirta extract for 90 days does not cause sub-chronic toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Kwan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuet Ping
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Darah
authors.affiliation: Dental Research & Training Unit, Oral Cancer Research and Coordinating Centre (OCRCC), Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Yeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Subramaniam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sreeramanan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sreenivasan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasidharan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D028481:Euphorbia / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008297:Male; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D009055:Mouth / Q000187:drug effects; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D000432:Methanol