Toxicity assessment of Syzygium jambos and Solanum guaraniticum hydroethanolic leaf extracts thru Artemia salina lethality and spleen lymphocyte cytotoxicity tests

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the toxicity of Syzygium jambos and Solanum guaraniticum leaf extracts, through Artemia salina lethality testing and cytotoxicity evaluations in rat spleen lymphocytes, using methyl tetrazolium (MTT), neutral red uptake (NRU), trypan blue dye exclusion, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage assays, besides by their in vitro effects on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. The LC50 calculated in the A. salina bioassay demonstrated that both extracts might well be toxic. Solanum guaraniticum presented cytotoxic effects against lymphocytes, as demonstrated by viable cells count reductions, NR uptake, and increased LDH leakage. Syzygium jambos appears to present immunomodulatory properties, increasing lymphocyte mitochondrial activity and inhibiting AChE activity. The results demonstrated the possible harmful effects of these vegetal preparations and may be helpful in therapeutic decisions and future studies with respect to the toxicology of these extracts, when used as phytotherapeutic medicines.