Toxicological characterization of ten medicinal plants used in the endogenous treatment of diarrhea

The poorly rational use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine may present a dose-dependent risk of toxicity to humans. This study aimed to explore the toxicological characteristics of ten plants used in traditional treatment of infectious diarrhea in Benin. The acute toxicity of aqueous and hydro-ethanolic extracts of Khaya senegalensis, Daniella oliveri, Rauvoflia vomitoria, Vernonia amygdalina, Manihot esculenta, Ocimum gratissimum, Senna italica, Diospyros mespiliformis, Pterocarpus erinaceus and Anacardium occidentale was evaluated following the OECD 423 protocol at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg. This safety test was complemented by a larval cytotoxicity test. Hematological and biochemical examinations as well as a histological study on the liver and kidneys were performed. Larval cytotoxicity was assessed by the sensitivity of Artemia salina larvae to different concentrations of the plant extracts studied. The detection tests of chemical compounds were carried out according basis of differential reactions. The mean lethal concentration (LC₅₀) was determined by the Probit method. The phytochemical screening of the plants studied revealed in variable the presence of catechic tannins, gallic tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and sterol-terpenes, alkaloids, saponosides and reducing compounds. This composition varied according to the plants studied. Acute toxicity data indicated that there was no mortality and no structural and functional alterations of the liver and kidneys of treated animals. Larval cytotoxicity data suggest that the plants studied are not cytotoxic (LC_{50 ≥} 0.1 mg/mL). These observations reflect the safety of these plants and justify their use in traditional medicine in the treatment of diarrheal diseases.