Acute and subchronic toxicity study of Ardisia ellipica thunb. Fruit extract

Abstract

Several plants species in the genus Ardisia contained various biologically active compounds. Ram Yai or Pilangkasa (Ardisia elliptica Thunb.) has been used in traditional medicines. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of ethanolic extract of A. elliptica fruit in animal models by oral administration. Acute toxicity test in mice by gavage the extract at each dose of 2.5 g/kg twice revealed no abnormal signs, mortality and gross lesion of vital organs. Subchronic toxicity study was investigated in one hundred Wistar rats separated into five groups, each of twenty (ten males and ten females). Two control groups received distilled water and 0.5% tragacanth respectively. While three experimental groups were orally administered with the extract at the doses of 20, 200 and 2000 mg/kg/day for 90 days consecutively. The results revealed that the extract at different doses did not affect growth, food consumption, health status, organ weights and clinical chemistry values of the rats. Hematological results revealed that the male rats receiving the extract at 200 mg/kg had higher MCHC value than the water control group; however it did not show any dose dependency. The significant alterations of neutrophil and eosinophil in the highest dose-treated male group were within the reference range. The incidence of histopathological lesions in some organs did not show any dose response relationship. In conclusion, the ethanolic extract of Ram Yai fruit at the tested doses did not produce any acute and subchronic toxicity in experimental animals.