Toxicological assessment of standardized Artemisia roxburghiana wall. ex Besser aqueous leaf extract to acute and subacute exposure in Albino mice

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Artemisia roxburghiana Wall. ex Besser is a well-known remedy for treating fever and diabetes. Natives of the Himalayan region use it to treat malaria, dysentery, rheumatism, and viral hepatitis.

Aim

The current investigation aimed to evaluate the phytochemical profile, acute and sub-acute toxicity of the aqueous leaf extract of Artemisia roxburghiana.

Methods

Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry determined the phytochemical profile. The potential toxicity of A. roxburghiana was evaluated by executing acute and sub-acute toxicity according to guidelines 423 and 407 of OECD. A single dose of 2 g/kg body weight was gavaged orally in acute toxicity. Animals were observed for memory impairment, depressive/anxiogenic behavior, and mortality for 14 days. In sub-acute toxicity, 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg body weight of extract was given for 28 days. Body weights, relative organ weights, hematological, histological, biochemical parameters, and endogenous antioxidants were assessed and compared with control.

Results

LD₅₀ was established to be > 2 g/kg body weight. No significant difference was observed between control and test groups for body weights, relative organ weights, behavioral, hematological, and biochemical studies in sub-acute toxicity. No signs of depletion of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation were observed. Histoarchitecture of the kidney, testes, ovaries, heart, liver, spleen and stomach of extract-treated groups was preserved and comparable to the control group.

Conclusion

The extract was rich in bioactive compounds with determinate therapeutic benefits. The plant was safe in repeated administration for 28 days which justifies its expansive use in traditional medicine systems.