Acute Oral Toxicological Profile of Croton membranaceus Mull. Arg. Aqueous Stem Extract, a Herbal Treatment for Benign Prostate Hyperplasia, in Male Sprague–Dawley Rats

Croton membranaceus Mull. Arg. is a traditional medicinal plant frequently employed in Ghana for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the acute oral toxicity of the aqueous stem extract of Croton membranaceus (CMASE) in male Sprague–Dawley (S-D) rats. The acute toxicity of CMASE was evaluated using S-D rats randomly divided into four groups of five animals each. Three groups (low dose, median dose, and high dose) of rats received single oral doses of CMASE (1000, 2500, and 5000 mg/kg body weight, respectively) using an oral gavage. The control group was given distilled water. After 14 days of daily observations, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses were conducted on the rats. From the results obtained, doses of CMASE up to 5000 mg/kg did not cause death or induce any clinical indications of toxicity during the study period. Also, the mean body weight and the hematological indices assessed were not significantly affected by the various doses of CMASE compared to the control group. However, serum uric acid and creatinine levels decreased significantly (p<0.001) 14 days after the extract administration. Serum liver function enzyme levels, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferases (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferases (AST), and serum proteins (total proteins and albumin) exhibited significant (p<0.001) non dose-dependent changes (increases and decreases) in treated groups compared to the controls. Other biochemical indices, however, did not differ significantly between the treated groups and the controls. The gross pathological and histological analysis of the heart, liver, and kidney tissues did not reveal any significant changes in histoarchitecture. The oral LD50 of CMASE in rats was greater than 5000 mg/kg, indicating that the extract was relatively safe. It must, however, be used with care as a substitute for the roots.