Safety Assessment of a Periploca chevalieri Browicz Standardized Extract: Oral Toxicity and Genotoxicity Studies

Periploca chevalieri (Apocynaceae Juss.) is an endemic medicinal plant from Cabo Verde that has long been used in traditional medicine, particularly for the management of diabetes and cough. However, to date, no studies focusing on potential adverse effects compromising its safe use have been performed. The present study aimed to investigate the safety profile of a standardized 70% hydroethanolic extract of Periploca chevalieri aerial parts (PcEE) using complementary in vivo and in vitro toxicological approaches. Repeated oral toxicity of PcEE at doses of 170, 600, and 1000 mg/kg body weight was evaluated in CD-1 mice over 14 days. Clinical signs, body weight, and food intake were monitored, as well as important biochemical parameters (hepatic, renal, and pancreatic biomarkers). Genotoxicity was investigated using the bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames test) with five different strains of Salmonella Typhimurium in the presence and absence of a metabolizing system. The results obtained showed no significant variations (p < 0.05) in body weight of the animals treated with PcEE at all tested doses. Significant changes (p < 0.05) with negligible relevance were observed in the biochemical parameters of PcEE-treated groups compared to the control group. The Ames test results showed that PcEE did not produce genotoxic effects in any of the tested strains at concentrations up to the maximum tested concentration (5 mg/plate). The results obtained are an important step towards the support and validation of the use of P. chevalieri aerial parts in traditional medicine.