ABSTRACT
Here, we aimed to determine the toxicity of Cryptostegia venusta in goats and rats. We orally administered a single 60 g dose of shredded C. venusta leaves per kilogram of body weight to three goats. The animals were necropsied after death, and tissue sections were collected and routinely processed for histopathological analyses. Additionally, we separated 25 adult male Wistar rats (each weighing about 150 g) into five groups: an untreated control group and groups orally treated with 1, 3, 10, or 60 g/kg doses. Rats were sacrificed 72 h after administration of the C. venusta extract, and tissue sections collected for histopathological analyses. All goats presented signs of apathy, salivation, frequent urination, and eventually fatigue 4-6h after receiving C. venusta. Two goats died 20 h after administration, and the third was sacrificed in extremis. The only histopathological finding observed in the goats was lung edema. No rats died during the experimental period or presented any clinical signs or macroscopic lesions. However, both goats and rats exhibited degeneration and multifocal necrosis of cardiac muscle fibers. From our results, we conclude that the C. venusta plant is capable of promoting cardiotoxicity.
