Toxicological evaluation of 80% methanol extract of Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H. Raven leaves (Onagraceae) in BALB/c mice Haidar Kadum Yakob a,b,n , Abd. Manaf Uyub a , Shaida Fariza Sulaiman a a School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia b Biology Department, College of Education for Pure Sciences, Al-Anbar University, Iraq article info Article history: Received 30 December 2011 Received in revised form 9 May 2012 Accepted 18 May 2012 Available online 13 June 2012 Keywords: Ludwigia octovalvis Acute toxicity Subacute toxicity Mice abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P. H. Raven (Family: Onagraceae), as a traditional Malay herbal medicine,has been used to treat gastrointestinal complaints such as diarrhea and dysentery. Aim of the study: To date there is no safety information about long term use of Ludwigia octovalvis,a traditionally used medicinal plant in Malaysia. Current study is thus aimed to determine the toxicity profile of the 80% methanolic extract of L. octovalvis by evaluating its acute and subacute toxicity in BALB/c mice. Materials and methods: In the acute toxicity study, a single dose of 5000 mg/kg of the extract was administered orally to six mice (3 males and 3 females). General behaviour, mortality and toxic symptoms were determined daily for 14 days. For the subacute toxicity, four groups of 12 mice of either sex received distilled water (control), 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of the extract daily for 28 consecutive days by oral gavage. The animals were observed daily for abnormal clinical signs and death. Body weight, relative organ weight, haematological and biochemical parameters of blood as well as heart, kidney, liver, lung and spleen tissues histology were evaluated. Results: In acute and subacute toxicity, the extract did not produce mortality or morbidity. A significant increase (p o0.05) in WBC count and significant decrease in ALT, AST and ALP levels were only observed in males and females that received 400 mg/kg of the extract, while a significant decrease in the cholesterol level was observed at the highest dose (800 mg/kg). Gross examination of liver, kidney, spleen, lung and heart showed normal histological feature. Conclusions: Repeated administration of L. octovalvis extract at dose levels of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg/day for 28 consecutive days to male and female mice did not cause any lethality nor produce any toxicological effects. The results suggest that the extract contains biologically active principles which may have immunostimulatory, hepatoprotective and cardiovascular protective properties. & 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction A large number of the world’s populations, especially in developing countries, rely on medicinal plants as an alternative to conventional drugs of various diseases. Since the use of medicinal plants are indiscriminately without notify their possi- ble unhealthy effects, The World Health Organization has recom- mended that traditional plants used for the treatment of diseases need further scientific investigation on their toxic side effects (WHO, 2008). There is a limited data available about the toxicol- ogy for the most commonly used herbal remedies (Gurib-Fakim, 2006). Toxicological data help to make decision whether an unknown herbal drug is safe for clinical use or not. Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H. Raven [syn: Jussiaea suffruticosa L., Jussiaea pubescens L., Jussiaea angustifolia Lamk.; Family- Onagra- ceae] is an aquatic plant widely grown in wet areas of Malaysia. It is traditionally used for treating edema, nephritis, dysentery, diarrohoea, nervous diseases, orchitis, leucorrhoea, headache, hyper- tension and swollen glands. It is commonly consumed as health drink (Van Valkenburg and Bunyapraphatsara, 2002). However, to our knowledge subacute toxicity study of L. octovalvis has yet to be reported. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the acute and subacute (28-day) toxicity of 80% methanol extract of the leaves of L. octovalvis in BALB/c mice. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Experimental animals Healthy BALB/c mice (males and females, weight: 25–30 g, age: 8–10 weeks) were used for acute and subacute toxicology Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jep Journal of Ethnopharmacology 0378-8741/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.05.035 n Corresponding author at: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia. Tel.: þ6 017 4723797; fax: þ604 6565125. E-mail address: h_alsalmany2006@yahoo.com (H. Kadum Yakob). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 142 (2012) 663–668