ASSESSMENT OF PRECLINICAL IN VIVO SUB-ACUTE TOXICITY OF FICUS THONNINGII BLUME (MORACEAE) STEM BARK EXTRACT IN WISTAR RATS

Ngo Biyiha Marilyn Orlane, Ara, Estella Tembe Fokunang*, Eustace Bonghan Berinyuy, Ambassa Pantaleon, Njinkio Nono Borgia Legrand, Ngameni Bathelemy and Fokunang Charles Ntungwen

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, spectrum of disease has shifted and complex chronic diseases have become the main part. The complementary and alternative treatment, especially the herbal medicine, has gained more attention and has also become popular due to the adverse side-effects, and also the development of resistance against synthetic drugs. The use of medicinal plants for various ailments, ranging from minor to chronic, is strongly driven by the increased costs of western medicines. So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 80 % of the global population depends on herbal products as the first line of primary health care intervention. These remedies, with a considerable extent of effectiveness, are socially accepted and economically viable. The objective of this study was to evaluate in vivo the subacute toxicity profiles of the hydro-ethanolic extract of the stem bark of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae) on albino Wistar rat models. This study was conducted in the Animal house affiliated with the laboratory of pharmaco-toxicology and pharmacokinetics of the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in the university of Yaoundé 1 from November 2021 to May 2022. The subacute toxicity study was performed in 6-week-old rats. Animals were orally treated with a daily dose of 125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg extract for 28 days. Hematological and blood biochemical parameters, as well as kidney and liver histology, were recorded at the end of each experiment. Following subacute dosing, biochemical analysis revealed a slight elevation of liver parameters at all dose levels, while no significant increase was observed for kidney parameters. The results of the study show that administration of the ethanol extract of F. thonningii to adult rats by gavage provoked reversible alteration of liver biochemistry parameters. Kidney microarchitecture and biochemistry remained unaffected by the plant extract. These modifications are in agreement with the slight modifications observed in liver histology. These findings call for caution in the use of F. thonningii especially at very high doses.

Keywords: Ficus thonningii, Hydro-ethanolic extract, Stem bark, Toxicity, Wistar rat.