Acute toxicity of the methanol extract of Ficus stuhlmannii Warb. (Moraceae) leaves

Ficus stuhlmannii Warb. is a medicinal plant used in Africa to treat sickle cell anaemia and various other conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract of Ficus stuhlmannii Warb. leaves in mice, to contribute to the safety of human consumers. The methanolic extract was obtained after extraction with solvents of increasing polarity and then administered to mice.  Its effects on the behaviour, general condition and mortality of the mice were observed. Biochemical and hematological parameters were measured by spectrophotometry.  No signs of toxicity were noted after administration of 5000 mg/kg body weight of the methanolic extract of Ficus stuhlmannii Warb. leaves. All animals survived after 14 days of observation, indicating that the LD50 is greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. Variation in biochemical and haematological parameters is an indicator of acute toxicity. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the biochemical parameters between the negative control and the treated groups: dose at 1000 to 500mg/kg, all values found for these parameters were within the normal range. Thus, no significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in the haematological parameters except for white blood cells, where there was a significant difference (p <0.0001) between the control and the groups treated with doses of 2000 to 5000 mg/kg.  The results obtained show that the methanolic extract of Ficus stuhlmannii Warb. leaves are not toxic to treated mice, even at a concentration of 5000 mg/kg.