Original Research Article Evaluation of acute and subacute toxicity of whole-plant aqueous extract of Vernonia mespilifolia Less. in Wistar rats Jeremiah Oshiomame Unuofin ⇑ , Gloria Aderonke Otunola, Anthony Jide Afolayan Medicinal Plants and Economic Development Research Centre, Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa article info Article history: Received 29 November 2017 Accepted 25 April 2018 Available online 4 July 2018 Keywords: Vernonia mespilifolia Less. Biochemical parameters Acute toxicity Hematological parameters Subacute toxicity abstract Objective: This study investigated the acute and subacute toxicity of whole-plant aqueous extract of Vernonia mespilifolia Less. (AEVM) in rats for evaluating its safety profile. Methods: AEVM for the acute (2000 and 5000 mg/kg) and subacute (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg) toxicity studies was administered orally to rats according the guidelines 425 and 407 of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, respectively. Food and water intake as well as body and organ weight of animals were recorded. Signs of toxicity were assessed, and hematological, biochemical and histopathological analyses were performed. Results: In the acute toxicity study, a single dose of the aqueous extract at 2000 or 5000 mg/kg caused no mortality in the animals, suggesting that the median lethal dose is greater than 5000 mg/kg. In the subacute toxicity study, administration of the extract for 28 d, at all doses, caused no significant changes in the body weights or organ weights of rats in the treated groups when compared with the control group. In addition, hematological and biochemical parameters also revealed no toxic effects of the extract on rats. Histological sections of the heart, liver and kidney from test animals showed no signs of degen- eration. Conclusion: These results showed that AEVM at dosage levels up to 600 mg/kg is nontoxic and could also offer protection on some body tissues. AEVM could, therefore, be considered safe. Please cite this article as: Unuofin JO, Otunola GA, Afolayan AJ. Evaluation of acute and subacute toxicity of whole-plant aqueous extract of Vernonia mespilifolia Less. in Wistar rats. J Integr Med. 2018; 16(5): 335– 341. Ó 2018 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In recent years, the world health care system has been depen- dent on plant-derived medication. A sizeable number of the popu- lation from most developing countries rely on remedies from traditional healers because it is part of their culture and also it is the most available and trusted healing therapy. The use of herbal remedies is increasing as a result of their accessibility, effectivity and social acceptability by patients [1,2]. These remedies have nat- ural therapeutic potentials which aid in combatting ailments such as obesity, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, renal and liver diseases [3]. There is a perception that herbal remedies, because of their natural derivation, are devoid of adverse or toxic side effects when compared with the synthetic drugs used in conventional medicine [4]. According to the World Health Organization, in spite of the wide use of medicinal plants, their efficacies and toxicity have rarely been tested [5], and it is therefore necessary to evaluate and standardize various herbal for- mulations used in the management of a myriad of diseases. Vernonia mespilifolia Less., popularly known as ‘‘Uhlunguh- lungu,” is a plant of the Asteraceae family widely distributed in South Africa [6,7]. In the local traditional system of medicine, var- ious parts of the plant are used in the management of a myriad of diseases. In the Eastern Cape of South Africa it is used to control weight loss and hypertension [8] and also for the treatment of heart water disease in goats [9]. V. mespilifolia. is used traditionally by the Zulu population in South Africa to treat malaria-related feverish conditions [10], also the leaves and roots have antitry- panosomal and antimycobacterial activities [11,12]. According to Unuofin et al. [13], essential oil isolated from the whole plant is rich in monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and apoc- artenoids which have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antihyperglycemic and immunomodulatory activities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2018.07.003 2095-4964/Ó 2018 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: unuofinjeremiah@gmail.com (J.O. Unuofin). Journal of Integrative Medicine 16 (2018) 335–341 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Integrative Medicine journal homepage: www.jcimjournal.com/jim www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-integrative-medicine