Toxicological Study of Hydroalcohol Leaf Extract of Acanthospermum hispidum (Asteraceae)

Acanthospermum hispidum is a widely plant used in African traditional medicine. This study aims to assess cardiotoxicity and sub-chronic (28-days) oral toxicity of hydroalcohol leaf extract of A. hispidum. The sub-chronic toxicity was evaluated after administering daily oral doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg body wt., for 28 days to the rats, biochemical and haematological assessments as well as body and relative organ weights of the rats were carried out. The results of the study have shown that blood sodium was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the group treated with 500 and 1000 mg/kg of A. hispidum extract and the blood platelet was significantly high. The weekly body and organ weight of the rats showed no significant differences between the control and the rats treated with the extract except for the testis where there was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in rats that received 1000 mg/kg, i.e., 1.16±0.2 g against 0.78±0.22 g for the control. A discreet seminiferous tubular atrophy and fibrosis of the tube wall were observed at this dose. The hydroalcoholic extract of A. hispidum at 0.1; 1; 10 and 100 mg/ml on toad heart and isolated atria of guinea pigs have caused a significant increase in cardiac amplitude (positive inotropic) and a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) in frequency (negative chronotropism). Our results suggest that the hydroalcohol extract of A. hispidum is relatively toxic to the testis and caution must be taken at high doses especially for the heart.