Phytochemical composition and toxicity assessment of Ammi majus L.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the acute and subacute toxicity as well as the phytochemical composition of two extracts and three fractions of Ammi majus L. Methods: The aqueous extracts were prepared separately by maceration for 48 h and by infusion for 1 h, while the fractions were prepared by the Soxhlet extractor, successively employing cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol. The acute toxicity study was carried out in accordance with the OECD N°423 guideline at a single dose (2 000 mg/kg) in mice for 14 days. The subacute toxicity study was performed by a daily oral administration of 250 mg/kg for 10 days and 100 mg/kg doses for 28 days. Phytochemical screening was performed using staining and precipitation reactions, while the chemical characterization of some analytes was detected by HPLC-MS/MS analysis. Results: In the acute toxicity study, no signs of toxicity such as convulsion, salivation, diarrhea, sleep and coma were observed during 30 minutes and 14 days, so the lethal dose was higher than 2 000 mg/kg for each extract and fraction. The subacute toxicity results showed that at a dose of 250 mg/kg, 61.10% of the animals died and the rest developed morbidity. On the other hand, at a dose of 100 mg/kg, all the animals were still alive after 28 days, with no morbidity and the biochemical parameters were normal with no abnormalities in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, and free quinones and the absence of alkaloids and anthocyanins. Conclusions: The extracts and fractions of Ammi majus L. are not toxic in the short and long term with a varied chemical composition. Toxicological tests on animals other than rodents and in the long term (more than 28 days) are needed to further confirm the safety of Ammi majus extracts.

Keywords

Ammi majus L. / Phytochemical composition / Acute toxicity / Subacute toxicity / Flavonoids

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Salma Moutada and Abdelhafid Benomar students at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, Morocco for their help in the study.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding

The authors received no extramural funding for the study.

Authors’ contributions

AD and HB were responsible for conceptualization, as well as project administration. NS, FZB, GZ, and MAY conducted investigations. AB, KWG, THS, and LCM also contributed to the drafting and critical revision of the manuscript. KWG, THS, and AB were responsible for validation, and LR, AZ, and KWG contributed to visualization. OE was responsible for writing the original draft, while MA, AZ, LR, AB, KWG, THS, and LCM contributed to the review and editing of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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