Evaluation of Acute Toxicity of Plants' Mixture Used in Traditional Treatment of Kidney Diseases in Morocco

Background: The use of plants' mixture in the traditional treatment of kidney diseases in Morocco is widespread. Objective: To evaluate the toxic effects of plants' mixture used in the traditional treatment of kidney diseases in Morocco. Materials and Methods: The phytochemical screening was performed. For acute toxicity, single doses of low dose (300 mg/kg), medium dose (500 mg/kg), high dose (2000 mg/kg), lethal dose (6000 mg/kg), and traditional dose (10 ml/kg) body weight of aqueous extracts of plants' mixture were administered orally in Wistar rats. Animals were monitored daily for at least 15 days after an oral administration of aqueous extract of the mixture to detect any changes in body weight, behavior, autonomic profiles, or mortality. Calculation of relative organ weight (ROW), hematological, biochemical analysis, and histopathology evaluation were carried out. Results: The acute oral toxicity study showed diarrhea, somnolence, and agitation of different groups of rats, while no mortality and no statistically significant decrease in body weight was observed. Statistically, the kidneys, liver, and spleen showed significant decrease in the ROW of the treated groups of rats when compared to the control group. In biochemical analysis, there was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, urea, and uric acid. Hematological parameters showed a significant decrease in leukocytes, eosinophil, basophil, lymphocytes, monocytes, and hematocrit. Histopathological evaluation which revealed major histology changes of liver sections of rats treated with low and medium doses had lymphocyte and plasma cell inflammatory infiltrates; whereas, the liver sections of rats treated with high, lethal, and traditional doses exhibited lymphocyte, plasma cell, and eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrates. Conclusion: The study finds that the plants' mixture marketed by herbalists for the treatment of kidney diseases is toxic to body organs such as the liver and the hematopoietic system.