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Acute and sub-chronic toxicological evaluation of Averrhoa carambola leaves in Sprague Dawley rats

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Abstract

Averrhoa carambola is a species of tree native to tropical Southeast Asia. It possesses antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemia effects and has traditionally been used to treat a variety of ailments. However, the presence of oxalic acid in its fruits might restrict its consumption by individuals suffering from kidney disease, and caramboxin can cause neurotoxicity. In this study, we evaluated the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of the methanolic extract of A. carambola leaves (MEAC) in male and female rats. In the acute study, female rats were given a single oral dose of 5000 mg/kg of MEAC and closely examined for distinct indications of toxic effects during the first 4 h, periodically for 48 h, and daily thereafter for 14 days. Rats of both sexes were employed in the sub-chronic investigation for the 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity study. Results of the acute study revealed the safety of MEAC up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg where the rats did not show changes or signs of toxicity. In the sub-chronic toxicity study, MEAC (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) administration did not affect the body weight, food, and water consumption, motor coordination, behavior, or mental alertness in the treated rats. In addition, no variations in hematological or biochemical markers were found in MEAC-treated rats. In conclusion, these findings pinpoint the safety of MEAC at doses up to 5000 mg/kg. The leaves of A. carambola could be safely consumed by people with kidney disease to treat other ailments.

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Funding

This work was supported by Universiti Sains Malaysia (No. 203/PFarmasi/6711190).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Analysis, Princess Aisha Bint Al-Hussein College of Nursing and Medical Sciences, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma’an, Jordan

    Sultan A. M. Saghir

  2. Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Malaysia

    Sultan A. M. Saghir & Vikneswaran Murugaiyah

  3. Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia

    Mahfoudh A. M. Abdulghani

  4. Biology Department, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Reem S. Alruhaimi

  5. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

    Ahmad F. Ahmeda

  6. Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

    Ahmad F. Ahmeda

  7. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Thamar University, Dhamar, Yemen

    Naif A. Al-Gabri

  8. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Veterinary Medicine, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen

    Saleh A. M. A. Alomaisi

  9. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Malaysia

    Amirin Sadikun

  10. Physilogy Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt

    Ayman M. Mahmoud

  11. Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Ayman M. Mahmoud

Authors
  1. Sultan A. M. Saghir
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  2. Mahfoudh A. M. Abdulghani
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  3. Reem S. Alruhaimi
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  4. Ahmad F. Ahmeda
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  5. Naif A. Al-Gabri
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  6. Saleh A. M. A. Alomaisi
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  7. Amirin Sadikun
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  8. Vikneswaran Murugaiyah
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  9. Ayman M. Mahmoud
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Contributions

Sultan A. M. Saghir performed the experiment and analyzed the data. Amirin Sadikun and Vikneswaran Murugaiyah conceived and designed the experiments, contributed materials, and approved the final draft. Mahfoudh A. M. Abdulghani prepared the draft of the manuscript, and tables. Reem S. Alruhaimi, Ahmad F. Ahmeda, Naif A Al-Gabri, and Saleh A. M. A. Alomaisi analyzed the data and prepared the draft of the manuscript. Ayman M. Mahmoud analyzed the data, prepared figures, and tables, and wrote and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayman M. Mahmoud.

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Ethical approval

All of the tests were carried out in compliance with institutional animal experiment rules, and the Animal Ethics Committee at USM (Approval number: USM/Animal Ethics Approval/2014/(92)(573)).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible editor: Lotfi Aleya

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Saghir, S.A.M., Abdulghani, M.A.M., Alruhaimi, R.S. et al. Acute and sub-chronic toxicological evaluation of Averrhoa carambola leaves in Sprague Dawley rats. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 90058–90069 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22019-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22019-7

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