HISTOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE ACUTE NEPHROTOXICITY OF THEOBROMA CACAO LEAF EXTRACT (COALEX-1) IN BALB/C MICE
Authors: Zainal, B.1*, Nur Shafira, M. S.2, Abdah, M. A.2*, Mahani, M.3, Nurul Izzati Uda, Z.4, Rasma Suzielawanis, I.1 and Nur Farah, A. R.1
Journal Issue: Malaysian Cocoa Journal, Volume 16/2024
Keywords: Pre-clinical, cocoa, Theobroma cacao, cancer, leaves extract, kidney
Published On: 1/10/2024
Abstract
Theobroma cacao leaves extract may have potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of breast cancer. The antiproliferative activity of cocoa leaf extract is thought to be due to the presence of flavonoids, which are compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids have been shown to have a number of anticancer effects, including inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, inducing apoptosis, and preventing angiogenesis. Hence, more research is needed to confirm these findings. The present study investigated the safety of oral consumption of Theobroma cacao leaves extract (CoaLeX-1) in BALB/c mice for anti-breast cancer study. In the acute toxicity study, 30 mice were randomly assigned into five groups (n = 6), which were the control and four treatment groups of single escalating dose (625, 1250, 2500 and 5000 mg/kg of CoaLeX-1). Animals were observed individually for any clinical signs of toxicity or mortality for 14 days. The histology of the kidneys of the animals was studied at the end of the experiment. During the 14 days observation period, CoaLeX-1 did not induce any toxicity symptom in the mice even at the highest dose (5000 mg/kg). There was no treatment-related mortality of mice at any dose level of CoaLeX-1 tested. The extract did not reveal any marked adverse effects on the kidneys in all treatment groups. Hence, based on the acute toxicity study, treatment with up to 5000 mg/kg of CoaLeX-1 was not toxic to the animals, indicating its safety when a large amount of this plant extract is ingested.