ABSTRACT
Confounding factors such as plant species, its location and other environmental associated chemistry were reported to influence the dynamics of phytochemicals from being beneficial health-wise to metabolites that facilitate toxic induced effects. This study investigated the oral sub-acute toxicity profile of the aqueous leaf extracts (ALE) of Jatropha gossypiifolia collected from Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Generalized loss of body weight, weaknesses, dizziness, loss of appetite and restlessness were observed in the acute toxicity study with more severe effects and mortality recorded in the groups exposed to higher doses of 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight. In the sub-acute toxicity study, the ALE following the oral administration of 240 mg/kg, 450 mg/kg and 583 mg/kg for 28 days was observed to profoundly alter the normal architecture of the liver and the kidney. The pathological lesions were observed to have disrupted the normal concentration of the serum biomarkers. The ALT concentrations were found to increases to 10.28±1.26 U/L at 250 mg/kg, 9.38±0.57 U/L at 450 mg/kg and 9.31±0.77 U/L at 583 mg/kg respectively when compared to the control (5.86±0.34 U/L). The concentrations of AST were observed to increase to 49.07±16.2 U/L at 250 mg/kg, 47.10±15.42 U/L at 450 mg/kg and 53.07±10.32 U/L at 583 mg/kg respectively when compared to the control (46.11±9.21 U/L). The activity levels of ALP further shows an increase of 379.50±11.31 U/L at 250 mg/kg, 624.90±22.46 U/L at 450 mg/kg and 662.73±28.62 U/L at 583 mg/kg respectively when compared to the control (349.97±71.70 U/L). It is evident from this study that the ALE of the J. gossypiifolia species in addition to its health benefits also contains a cocktail of toxic phytochemicals. Thereby redefined the previous conclusions that the aqueous leaf extract of J. gossypiifolia plant is entirely safe. Thus, reinforcing the importance of the uses of indigenous/site-specific experiment, having in mind that some phytochemicals are sensitive to numbers of confounding factors.