Assessment of the acute and subacute toxicity of Algerian Hyoseris radiata L. in the Wistar albino rats model

Wild chicory, or Hyoseris radiata L., is indigenous to the Mediterranean region, is a plant used in traditional medicine as a diuretic, blood depurative, and against kidney stones. The present study aimed to assess for the first time the acute and subacute toxicity, to quantify the total amount of polyphenols and flavonoids, and to assess the antioxidant activity of H. radiata collected from Setif, Algeria. The overall amount of flavonoids and polyphenols was quantified spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated according to two methods, DPPH and FRAP. The acute toxicity of H. radiata was carried out according to the OECD guideline 423 to determine the median lethal dose LD50 and the subacute toxicity was evaluated according to OECD guideline 407 to assess the possible pathological effects of the extract administered for 28 days by oral route. The results show that the total amount of polyphenols and flavonoids was 132.53 ± 2 µg of GAE·1 mg-1 and 96.11 ± 3.65 µg of QE·1 mg-1 of extract, respectively. The extract shows a good antioxidant potential in both tests. The administered dose (2 g·kg-1 of BW) didn’t produce any changes in general behaviors or mortality, so the LD50 is greater than 2 g·kg-1 of BW. Moreover, the daily administration of the extract with 2 doses, 100 mg·kg-1 and 200 mg·kg-1 didn’t cause any changes in body weight, behavior test, hematological parameters, and organ relative weight. A significant decrease in triglyceride was recorded in both concentrations. Based on the present findings, the extract of H. radiata has no significant toxicity. These findings offer valuable information about the toxicity profile of the traditional medicine plant Hyoseris radiata L.