Sains Malaysiana 38(4)(2009): 499–509 

Toxicological Evaluation of Dried Kacangma Herb (Leonurus sibiricus) in Rats

(Kajian Ketoksikan Herba Kacangma Kering (Leonurus sibiricus) pada Tikus)

Chua Hun Pin*

Food Technology Research Centre

Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute

MARDI Station Kuching, Lot 41, Block 14, Petra Jaya

93055 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Aminah Abdullah

Program of Food Science

Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor D.E., Malaysia

M. Murugaiyah

Strategic Livestock Research Centre

MARDI Headquarters, Serdang

P.O.Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Received: 8 January 2008 / Accepted: 13 November 2008

ABSTRACT

Kacangma (Leonurus sibiricus L.) is a popular traditional herb that has been consumed for decades by the people of Sarawak as a herbal medicine or culinary ingredient. The toxicity of dried kacangma herb on Sprague Dawley male and female rats was evaluated through 90-day sub-chronic studies. The rats were fed kacangma at the rate of 0.5 (low dose), 5 (medium dose) and 25 (high dose) g/kg body weight. The control groups of rats received only the commercial rat pellet. Minor treatment-related effects were observed for body weights, organ weights and the lipid profile parameters and these did not appear to be of toxicological significance. In the sub-chronic toxicity studies, some indications of renal and liver toxicity were evident in the medium and high dose groups when plasma creatinine and liver enzymes were found to be higher when compared with the control and the low dose groups. The hematology study reveals statistically significant mild anemia in rats from the medium and high dose groups as indicated by decreases in hemoglobin, red blood cell count and packed cell volume (hematocrit value). Administration of kacangma herb at medium and high dose was also found to cause adverse effects in histopathological structure of the liver and kidney of both male and female rats. However, low dose group showed no significant differences compared to the control. Therefore, it is considered safe and less chance of developing toxicity if the herb is consumed at the dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight as observed throughout the 90 days period of sub-chronic study.

Keywords: Hematology, histopathology; Leonurus sibiricus, Sprague Dawley rats; toxicity evaluation

ABSTRAK

Kacangma (Leonurus sibiricus L.) ialah sejenis herba tradisional yang sudah sekian lama digunakan oleh penduduk Sarawak sebagai herba ubatan dan ramuan masakan. Ketoksikan kacangma kering terhadap tikus Sprague Dawley jantan dan betina telah dinilai melalui kajian akut dan sub-kronik selama 90 hari. Tikus diberi makan kacangma pada kadar 0.5 (dos rendah), 5.0 (dos sederhana) dan 25.0 (dos tinggi) g/kg berat badan. Tikus kawalan hanya diberi pelet komersial. Kesan perlakuan yang minor telah didapati pada berat badan, berat organ dan parameter profil lipid dan kesemua ini tidak menunjukkan kesan yang bererti dari segi toksikologi. Dalam kajian subkronik, sedikit pertanda ketoksikan telah dikesan pada renal dan hati untuk kumpulan dos sederhana dan tinggi apabila paras kreatinin plasma dan enzim- enzim hati didapati lebih tinggi berbanding dengan kumpulan kawalan dan kumpulan dos rendah. Kajian hematologi memperlihatkan keadaan anemia ringan yang bererti secara statistik pada tikus dari kumpulan dos sederhana dan tinggi sejajar dengan penurunan nilai hemoglobin, sel darah merah dan isipadu pek sel (nilai hematokrit). Pengambilan herba kacangma pada dos sederhana dan tinggi turut menyebabkan perubahan yang bererti pada histopatologi hati dan ginjal tikus jantan dan betina. Walau bagaimanapun, kumpulan dos rendah tidak menunjukkan perbezaan bererti dengan kumpulan kawalan, maka pengambilan herba kacangma adalah dianggap selamat. Kajian ini mencadangkan tiada kesan ketoksikan sekiranya herba ini diambil pada dos 0.5 g/kg berat badan seperti yang diperhatikan dalam kajian ketoksikan subkronik 90 hari.

Kata kunci: Hematologi; histopatologi; kajian ketoksikan; Leonurus sibiricus, tikus Sprague Dawley

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*Corresponding author; email: hpchua@mardi.gov.my