The leaves of Jatropha tanjorensis have been found to have important application both in traditional medicine and as an edible vegetable in Nigerian soups. It is popularly employed in Nigeria for the treatment of anemia, diabetes, and malaria. The dearth of information on its toxicity prompted this study. Mice were administered single oral doses of 10, 100, 1000, 1600, 2900, and 5000 mg/kg b.wt (n = 3/group) of the extract and were observed for 24 h for any sign of toxicity and mortality in the acute toxicity study. For the sub-acute toxicity study, doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg b.wt of the extract were administered to experimental rats (n = 6/group) for 28 days after which the assessment of hematological and biochemical parameters, as well as liver and kidney histology was conducted post-treatment. Body weight of the animals was also taken weekly. The result showed that percentage weight gain decreased as the dose of extract increased. The haematological and biochemical parameters showed that the extract had no toxic effect on experimental animals, though there was a non-significant dose-dependent decrease in WBC. The extract also showed potential to cause hepatotoxicity at the highest dose. Though the median lethal dose of the plant extract suggests relative safety of the plant material, consuming large amounts over a prolonged time may need to be discouraged to avoid potential damage to vital organs such as the liver.

中文翻译：

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麻风树（大戟科）叶甲醇提取物的毒性评估

已发现麻风树的叶子在传统医学和尼日利亚汤中作为可食用蔬菜都有重要应用。它在尼日利亚广泛用于治疗贫血、糖尿病和疟疾。缺乏关于其毒性的信息促使了这项研究。给小鼠单次口服剂量为 10、100、1000、1600、2900 和 5000 mg/kg b.wt（n = 3/组）的提取物，并观察 24 小时的任何毒性和死亡迹象。急性毒性研究。对于亚急性毒性研究，将 100、200 和 400 mg/kg b.wt 的提取物剂量给予实验大鼠（n = 6/组）28 天，然后评估血液学和生化参数，以及治疗后进行肝肾组织学检查。还每周测量动物的体重。结果表明，随着提取物剂量的增加，体重增加百分比降低。血液学和生化参数表明，该提取物对实验动物没有毒性作用，尽管 WBC 存在非显着的剂量依赖性降低。该提取物还显示出在最高剂量下引起肝毒性的潜力。虽然植物提取物的半数致死剂量表明植物材料的相对安全性，但可能需要阻止长时间大量食用，以避免对肝脏等重要器官造成潜在损害。尽管 WBC 存在非显着的剂量依赖性降低。该提取物还显示出在最高剂量下引起肝毒性的潜力。虽然植物提取物的半数致死剂量表明植物材料的相对安全性，但可能需要阻止长时间大量食用，以避免对肝脏等重要器官造成潜在损害。尽管 WBC 存在非显着的剂量依赖性降低。该提取物还显示出在最高剂量下引起肝毒性的潜力。虽然植物提取物的半数致死剂量表明植物材料的相对安全性，但可能需要阻止长时间大量食用，以避免对肝脏等重要器官造成潜在损害。