TITLE:
Safety of Extracts from Different Accessions of Uvaria chamae, an Anti-Sickle Cell Medicinal Plant
AUTHORS:
Houenoukpo Wilfried Hlouèdjè, Félicienne Agbogba, Jacques Ezéchiel Lokonon, Ténor Dias-Mendel Allode, Régis Comlan Houndeglasso, Gloria Abissi, Chimène Nanoukon, Espérance Medoatinsa, Gustave Djedatin, Pascal Atchadé Tchogou, Antoine Missihoun, Casimir Akpovi, Ahoéfa Amélé Eugénie Anago, Maximin Senou
KEYWORDS:
Biological Tolerance, Uvaria chamae Accessions, Acute Oral Toxicity, Subchronic Oral Toxicity, Sickle Cell Disease
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.11,
November
12,
2026
ABSTRACT: Uvaria chamae is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Benin to manage sickle cell disease, but the safety of its root extracts across its genetic diversity had not been systematically evaluated. This study evaluated the acute and 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity of aqueous root extracts from five genetically distinct accessions (UV2, UV7, UV9, UV13, UV19). Female Wistar rats (n = 3 per group) received 2000 mg/kg once (acute oral toxicity, AOT) or 200 mg/kg/day for 28 days (subchronic oral toxicity, SCT) by gavage, following adapted OECD Guidelines 425 and 407. Body weight, AST, ALT, urea, creatinine, blood counts and liver and kidney histology were assessed. Changes from baseline were analyzed with paired t-tests and compared with controls by ANOVA and Dunnett’s test. No deaths or overt clinical signs of toxicity occurred. Body weight decreased by 14.1% with UV7 in the AOT and by 8.1% (P