Acute and chronic toxicity of the methanolic extract of Ajuga iva in rodents

Summary. Ajuga iva, known as “Chendgoura”, is widely used in North African countries in the traditional medicine. However, there is little toxicological informations available regarding its safety following repeated exposure. The present investigation describes the toxicity of a methanolic extract of Ajuga iva. The administration of the Ajuga iva methanolic extract (AIME) at 2 –14 g/kg of bodyweight (bwt) did not produce mortality or significant changes in the general behavior of mice. However, single intraperitoneal injections of AIME (2–6 g/kg bwt) produced a dose-dependent increase in adverse effects in the general behavior and the mortality rate. The LD 50 by intraperitoneal route was 3.980 g/kg bwt. In chronic toxicological studies in rats, oral administration the AIME with daily doses of 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg bwt, did not cause any significant differences in the general conditions like growth, organ weights, hematological and biochemical parameters or in microscopic appearance of the organs (brain, liver and the kidney). In contrast, a transient rise in platelet counts and a decrease in serum glucose and cholesterol levels were noted. Therefore, the NOAEL for the AIME is 600 mg/kg/day administered orally for 13 weeks. So AI methanolic extract has low toxicity. Industrial relevance. The extract of the plant Ajuga iva can be used as herbal teas or for the treatment of several disease such as diabetes, high cholesterol and increased serum triglycerides. However, information regarding its toxicological properties is not available. In this study, we have shown that the methanolic extract of Ajuga iva has low toxicity in rodent models and may be considered for human use after further studies. Keywords. Ajuga iva ; methanolic extract; acute toxicity; sub chronic toxicity