Study on technical procedure for producing a preparation with immune-regulation activity from Artocarpus tonkinensis leaves

Abstract

Artocarpus tonkinensis A. Chev. ex Gagnep. leaves have been used in Vietnamese traditional medicine for the treatment of backache and joint disorders. The aqueous ethanol extract of A. tonkinensis’s leaves has been developed in Vietnam as herbal functional food and medicine due to its various biological activities including immunosuppressive, anti-inflammation, and anticancer. This study determined the efficient extraction of total flavonoids from the leaves of A. tonkinensis (AT). Active components including two rare auronol glucosides and flavonol glycosides were analyzed using TLC, HPLC and HPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the toxicological properties of an ethanolic extract from A. tonkinensis leaves (AT2), including acute and sub-chronic toxicity to mice and rabbits, respectively. In acute toxicity test, AT2 showed no effect on survival, clinical observations, macroscopic examination of organs, body weight or food, and water consumption. In sub-chronic toxicity assay, AT2 did not change behaviors, body weight, and histopathological assessment of kidney and liver. Moreover, most of biochemical and hematological parameters remained unchanged. In conclusion, the results of preclinical toxicological investigation indicated that the AT2 well tolerated both acute and subchronic administration. These results demonstrated a wide margin of safety for the therapeutic use of A. tonkinensis products and further evidenced the efficacy of the traditional use of this medicinal plant.