Chemical and biological investigations of a toxic plant from Central Africa, Magnistipula butayei subsp. montana

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 103; no. 3; pp. 433 - 438
• Main Authors: Karangwa, C., Esters, V., Frédérich, M., Tits, M., Kadima, J.N., Damas, J., Noirfalise, A., Angenot, L.
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 20-02-2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acute toxicity; Africa, Central; amino acids; Animals; Anthocyanins - isolation & purification; bark; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Biologie végétale (sciences végétales, sylviculture, mycologie...); Blood parameters; Body Temperature - drug effects; catechin; Central Nervous System - drug effects; central nervous system diseases; chemical constituents of plants; Chemistry; Chimie; Chrysobalanaceae; Chrysobalanaceae - chemistry; Convulsions; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fruit; fruits (plant anatomy); General pharmacology; Human health sciences; Hypothermia; leaves; Lethal Dose 50; Life sciences; Magnistipula butayei subsp montana; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacie, pharmacologie & toxicologie; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pharmacy, pharmacology & toxicology; Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences; Physique, chimie, mathématiques & sciences de la terre; Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...); Plant Bark; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plant Leaves; poisonous plants; Rats; Rats, Wistar; saponins; Saponins - isolation & purification; Sciences de la santé humaine; Sciences du vivant; Seizures - etiology; tannins; Tannins - isolation & purification; toxic substances; toxicity; Central Africa; Montana; United States; North America; Africa; America; Africa, Central; MBMAE; RBC; DW; Magnistipula butayei subsp. montana; Blood parameters; WBC; Convulsions; Chrysobalanaceae; Acute toxicity; Hypothermia; Biological fluid; Nervous system diseases; Pharmacognosy; Toxicity; Blood; Medicinal plant; Convulsion; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta; Neurological disorder
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.019

Magnistipula butayei subsp.
montana (
Chrysobalanaceae) is known, in the Great Lakes Region, to possess toxicological properties. In this paper, we investigated the acute toxicity (dose levels 50–1600
mg/kg) of its aqueous extract, administered orally to adult
Wistar rats.
This study demonstrated that the freeze-dried aqueous extract (5%, w/w) possesses high toxicity. The extract caused hypothermia, neurological disorders, including extensor reflex of maximal convulsive induced-seizures at about 2
h after the administered dose, and death occurred (LD
50
=
370
mg/kg) in a dose dependent manner.
Blood parameter evaluation revealed slight variations, but these might not have clinical relevance. Histological examination of internal organs (lungs, liver, heart and kidneys) did not reveal any abnormality in the treated group compared to the control. Therefore, it can be concluded that
Magnistipula butayei subsp.
montana aqueous extract, given orally, is toxic and that its target is the central nervous system.
General phytochemical screening revealed that the plant did not contain significant amounts of products known to be toxic, such as alkaloids or cardioactive glycosides, but only catechic tannins, amino acids, saponins and other aphrogen principles in the three parts of the species (fruit, leave and bark).