Study of the toxicity of the ethanolic extract of Justicia spicigera in rats treated orally for 30 days

Abstract

In Mexico, according to data from the ENSANUT, 2012, 6.4 million of Mexicans were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). Currently, there are several reports in the scientific literature supporting the use of plants for the treatment of T2DM. Justicia spicigera (JS) is widely distributed in Huasteca Potosina and its ethanolic extract (EEJS) has recently been shown that it has a hypoglycemic effect in normoglycemic rats and streptozotocin-induced DM model; however only its acute toxicity has been evaluated. therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the toxicity for prolonged periods. Oral toxicity was evaluated by repeated dose administration model for 30 days. The results showed that administration of EEJS induced mild adverse effects, particularly related to behavioral abnormalities. Additional experiments are currently being carried out in our laboratory to evaluate its chronic toxocity.