Toxicological Study of the Effect in vivo and in vitro of Artemisia herba-alba Aqueous Extract in Rats

Background: Artemisia herba-alba (AHA) is largely used in folk medicine in different countries. However, rare studies provided toxicological evaluation regarding their safety on human health. Objective: This study investigated the safety of the standardized aqueous extract of AHA, like used by patients, to evaluate their toxicity in vivo and in vitro. Materials and Methods: For toxicological evaluation in vivo we used acute (during 14 days) and sub-acute oral gavages in Wistar rats (rats treated daily for 42 days at 1–5 g/kg bw) and the 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay was performed to determine the level of cell viability and the degree of cytotoxicity in vitro (0–30 μg/ml) on cultured spleen cells. Results: The LD₅₀was up to 2 g/kg. Signs of mortality and toxicity were observed after single doses and no-observed-adverse-effect levels in the sub acute toxicity was up to 2 g/kg bw. Compared to the control, the treatment did not produce any statistically significant changes on alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase serum titer. However, for creatinine and urea serum value, a significant increase (P < 0.05) was observed. The histological observations of liver and spleen tissues have shown well-preserved normal cells. Indeed for kidney tissues some artifacts of retraction and vascular congestion were noted for 3–5 g/kg doses after sub-chronic treatment. The addition of plant extracts to the spleen cells did not show any sign of toxicity for all doses tested. Conclusion: We conclude that AHA aqueous extract at the dosage up to 2g/kg bw will be toxic and can affect mainly the kidney tissues.