Abstract
Since ancient times people around the world used medicinal plants for their therapeutic potential. Some studies of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective effects of the extracts from plants of the genus Arctium have been conducted. The extracts obtained from these plants are considered safe with low toxicities; however, little is known about the toxicity of the Arctium tomentosum Mill. extract. Therefore, our work aimed to study the toxic effect of a carbon dioxide extract from the A. tomentosum Mill. root through MTT assay, acute, and sub-chronic toxicity studies. In the MTT assay, a low cytotoxic effect was observed at concentrations between 0.078 mg/mL and 0.001 mg/mL. The IC50 value – 0.091 mg/mL was determined through non-linear regression analysis. The acute toxicity test demonstrated that the LD50 is >5000 mg/kg and in the sub-chronic toxicity test, a dose of 200 mg/kg did not induce the toxic effect. In this way, the present study can serve as a base for the further investigation of the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects of the A. tomentosum Mill—root extract.