STUDY OF THE ACUTE TOXICITY OF THE AQUATIC PLANT POTAMOGETON PERFOLIATUS EXTRACT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS
Keywords:
white rats, LD 50oral , toxicological assessment, bioactive compoundsAbstract
Plants represent a valuable source of therapeutic agents and serve as a basis for the development of synthetic drugs. The assessment of the toxicity of aquatic plant extracts is of critical importance for ensuring their safe use in pharmacology, food technology, and aquaculture, as they may contain harmful cyanotoxins, produce phycotoxins, or induce allergic reactions. The aim of the present study was to determine the parameters of acute toxicity of an extract of the aquatic plant Potamogeton perfoliatus in laboratory animals. The plant material consisted of the herbaceous aquatic species Potamogeton perfoliatus, collected in June 2025 from Lake Yalpuh (Odesa region, Ukraine). Toxicological studies were conducted on laboratory animals (white rats and mice) using standard methods. The animals were maintained under optimal vivarium conditions: ambient temperature of 18 ± 2 °C, relative humidity of 55 ± 10%, a 12/12 h light–dark cycle, and a tenfold air exchange per hour in the animal facility. In the conducted experimental study, no mortality was observed in rats or mice. Therefore, it was not possible to determine the LD 50oral of the Potamogeton perfoliatus extract; however, it is evidently higher than 15,000.0 mg/kg body weight. On day 15 of the experiment, mice and rats administered the extract at a dose of 15,000.0 mg/kg body weight were euthanized, followed by necropsy. The pathological examination of rat and mouse carcasses aimed at detecting organ changes revealed no alterations characteristic of toxic effects. Available scientific literature contains virtually no data on the toxicity of algal extracts or mortality of experimental animals resulting from their administration. The study demonstrated that the extract of the aquatic plant Potamogeton perfoliatus can be classified as toxicity class VI (relatively harmless substances, LD 50oral > 15,000.0 mg/kg body weight) and, according to hazard classification, as class IV (low-hazard substances, LD 50oral > 5,000 mg/kg).
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