Sub-acute toxicity study of bitter leaf (<i>Vernonia amygdalina</i> Del.) aqueous fraction on haematological parameters

Abstract

Vernonia amygdalina’s medicinal properties are well established. Furthermore, the safety of the V. amygdalina leaf aqueous fraction has yet to be proven. This study aims to determine the sub-acute toxicity of Vernonia amygdalina leaf aqueous fraction (VALAF) on haematological parameters in male BALB/c mice. The sub-acute oral toxicity test consisted of three treatment groups of nine animals each and a control group. The BALB/c mice were given repeated oral doses of VALAF at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW for 21 days. The observed parameters were red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (Hb), white blood cells (WBC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and hematocrit (HCT). All parameters were measured on the 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd days. This study revealed no mortality or morbidity in the subacute toxicity tests. VALAF dose and the duration of administration did not differ significantly from the control group (p>0.05). This study showed that VALAF was relatively safe for male BALB/c mice.