Toxicology and Oral glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) of Thai Medicinal Plant Used for Diabetes controls, Phyllanthus acidus L. (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate toxicity and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) of Phyllanthus acidus leaf extract (PAE) on Wistar rat. Methods: PAE was prepared and administered orally to experimental animals used. The extract was tested for toxicity in rats at a dose of 0, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 mg/kg body weight p.o once daily for 14 days. The hypoglycemic effects of PAE on normal rats and orally glucose-induced hyperglycemic rats were compared with distilled water and glibenclamide. A single dose (250 mg/kg body weight) of PAE was administered and blood glucose level was obtained by pricking the tail vain using glucometer at time -30, 0, 30, 60, 120 and 240 minutes. Results: All doses of the extract did not exert any sign or symptom of toxicity and the dead rat was not found. The body weight, white blood cell (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), blood chemistry, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, alkaling phosphatase (ALP) and organ weight of liver were not significantly different between control and treated rats. However, red blood cell (RBC), hematocrit (HCT), lymphocyte (LYM), and hemoglobin (Hb) at a dose 1,500 mg./kg body weight were significantly lower than those in the control group. The blood glucose levels of PAE treated groups were not different with control and Glybenclamide treated. Conclusion: The findings of the present study can be concluded that the PAE are practically non-toxic at a lower dose.