Acute toxicity and effect of subacute administration of "4 heures du matin" bitters on anthropometric and hematological parameters in Wistar rats

"Bitters" are macerations of medicinal plants in alcohol, widely consumed for various reasons. Despite their high consumption, there is little scientific data on their safety/toxicity profile. Therefore, this study aims to assess the acute toxicity and the effect of subacute administration of "4 heures du matin” bitters, consumed to correct erectile dysfunction. The acute toxicity tests were conducted on female rats with the equivalent of 17 or 22 cups corresponding to doses of 1190 and 1540 ml/kg bw. Clinical signs of toxicity and animal death were assessed. For the subacute toxicity study, 70 rats including 35 females and 35 males divided into 3 groups were used. The group 1 rats received orally distilled water. Those in groups 2 and 3, subdivided into 3 subgroups each, received the respective doses of 140; 280 and 420 ml/kg bw of “koutoukou” and “4 heures du matin” bitters daily for 28 days. The body weight of the rats was weekly assessed. Blood samples were taken for hematological analysis. The results of acute toxicity study showed clinical signs of toxicity in rats. "4 heures du matin" bitters caused mortalities ranging from 40 to 60% of the total number of rats. The anthropometric study showed a non-significant increase in the weight of experimental rats. At the haematological level, a significant increase (p<0.001) in MCHC levels and a significant drop in hematocrit percentages was highlighted in male rats gavaged with “koutoukou”. On the leukocyte, the solutions did not induce significant changes in both sexes of rats. The “4 heures du matin” bitters can be considered relatively safe for low-dose consumption in a short period. However, the long-term and high-dose consumption of this bitter poses a huge risk and harmful effect that could compromise the health of consumers.