Acute and subacute toxicity of Cassia occidentalis L. stem and leaf in Wistar rats

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 136; no. 2; pp. 341 - 346
• Main Authors: Silva, Mirtes G.B., Aragão, Ticiana P., Vasconcelos, Carlos F.B., Ferreira, Pablo A., Andrade, Bruno A., Costa, Igor M.A., Costa-Silva, João H., Wanderley, Almir G., Lafayette, Simone S.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 22.06.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acute toxicity; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Biochemical and hematological parameters; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Body Weight - drug effects; Cassia - toxicity; Cassia occidentalis L; Female; General pharmacology; Leguminosae; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Pre-clinical study; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Subacute toxicity; Pre-clinical study; Subacute toxicity; Biochemical and hematological parameters; Cassia occidentalis L; Leguminosae; Acute toxicity; Rat; Pharmacognosy; Toxicity; Rodentia; Preclinical trial; Plant leaf; Stem; Medicinal plant; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Dicotyledones; Animal; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Senna occidentalis; Spermatophyta; Cassia occidentalis; Subacute
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.070

Cassia occidentalis L. (syn. Senna occidentalis; Leguminosae) has been used as natural medicine in rainforests and tropical regions as laxative, analgesic, febrifuge, diuretic, hepatoprotective, vermifuge and colagogo. Herein, we performed a pre-clinical safety evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of Cassia occidentalis stem and leaf in male and female Wistar rats. In acute toxicity tests, four groups of rats (n=5/group/sex) were orally treated with doses of 0.625, 1.25, 2.5 and 5.0g/kg and general behavior, adverse effects and mortality were recorded for up to 14 days. In subacute toxicity assays, animals received Cassia occidentalis by gavage at the doses of 0.10, 0.50 or 2.5g/kg/day (n=10/group/sex) for 30 days and biochemical, hematological and morphological parameters were determined. Cassia occidentalis did not produce any hazardous symptoms or death in the acute toxicity test, showing a LD50 higher than 5g/kg. Subacute treatment with Cassia occidentalis failed to change body weight gain, food and water consumption and hematological and biochemical profiles. In addition, no changes in macroscopical and microscopical aspect of organs were observed in the animals. Our results showed that acute or subacute administration of Cassia occidentalis is not toxic in male and female Wistar rats, suggesting a safety use by humans.