Evaluation Of Toxicity Profile And Pharmacological Potentials Of Aju Mbaise Polyherbal Extract In Rats

Aju Mbaise polyherbal extract (APE) is used in Southeast Nigeria by many women to enhance labour, remove retained placenta after delivery, and for managing pains from postnatal and menstrual cramps. This study investigated the toxicity and the pharmacological activities of APE in Wistar rats. A single dose of 5000 mg/kg APE was orally administered to the mice for acute toxicity study. In the subacute toxicity, forty female rats (10/group) received 0.25 mL distilled water, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of APE respectively for 28 days. For analgesic (50 rats) and anti-inflammatory investigations (25 rats), were randomly grouped into 5 respectively. Group 1 rats received 0.2 mL normal saline. Group 2 received 100 mg/kg of aspirin while groups 3, 4 and 5 received 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight of APE respectively. The biochemical parameters, in vitro osmotic fragility, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated. The LD50 of APE was > 5000 mg/kg. Oral intake of APE did not cause body weight retardation. Various doses of APE significantly increased (p<0.05) high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Again, there were slight elevations within the reference limits in creatinine, urea, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in test groups. APE had a lower percentage hemolysis value compared to aspirin and significantly lowered onset time and number of writhes in the pretreated groups. The results of this study establish the acclaimed usage of APE in the management of post-delivery and menstrual cramps. However, prolonged treatment with APE above 400 mg/kg may lead to hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects. Therefore, lower doses of APE should only be used for therapeutic purpose. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.