Acute Toxicity Study And Antipyretic Effect Of The Brown Alga Turbinaria Conoides (j. Agardh) Kuetz

• Published in: African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 233 - 240
• Main Authors: Sadish Kumar, S, Kumar, Y, Khan, M. S. Y, Anbu, J, Sam, K. G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nigeria African Ethnomedicines Network 07-05-2009; African Networks on Ethnomedicines
• Subjects: Acute toxicity study; Administration, Oral; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - isolation & purification; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - pharmacology; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - toxicity; Animals; antipyretic activity; biochemical and haematological studies Turbinaria conoides; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fever - drug therapy; Lethal Dose 50; Phaeophyceae - chemistry; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plants, Medicinal - toxicity; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Research Paper; Toxicity Tests, Acute; Acute toxicity study; antipyretic activity; biochemical and haematological studies Turbinaria conoides
• ISSN: 0189-6016; 2505-0044; 0189-6016

The active principles of brown alga, Turbinaria Conoides (J.Agardh)
Kuetz. (Sargassaceae) was extracted with n-hexane, cyclohexane,
methanol and ethanol-water (1:1) and investigated for acute toxicity
and antipyretic activity. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts
revealed the presence of steroids, flavonoids and reducing sugars.
Acute toxicity study was performed in Wistar rats after administration
of extracts orally. No mortality was observed up to the dose of 5g/kg
for methanol and ethanol-water (1:1) extracts whereas n-hexane and
cyclohexane extracts were found to be toxic at the dose levels of 1g/kg
and 2 g/kg respectively. In biochemical analysis, n-hexane, cyclohexane
and ethanol-water (1:1) extracts caused a significant (P<0.01)
increase in serum cholesterol, protein and alkaline phosphatase levels.
In haematological studies, a significant difference was observed for
cyclohexane and ethanol-water (1:1) extracts in polymorphs, lymphocytes
and eosinophils when compared to the control. Antipyretic activity of
extracts (100-400 mg/kg doses) was carried out on yeast-induced pyrexia
in rats. Cyclohexane extract exhibited more significant antipyretic
activity (P<0.01) than the other extracts at a dose of 200mg/kg
(54.43%), which was comparable to that of paracetamol at a dose of 33
mg/kg. The findings validated the use of this brown alga in traditional
cure of children's fever.