Assessment of the toxicity of Artemisia inculta extract on the bone marrow of mice infected with schistosomiasis.

UNLABELLED: The discovery of the crude extract of Artemisia inculta (an Egyptian species of the Artemisia plant) for the therapy of schistosomiasis has evoked the study of its long-term toxicity produced by antischistosomal doses. Hence, an assessment of the noxious effects on bone marrow was attempted in this study. Transmission electron microscopy of the bone marrow was conducted on infected mice receiving a crude ethanolic extract from Artemisia inculta by newly designed dose regimens (500 or 800 mg/kg body weight in the 7th, 14th and 21st weeks post infection). This regimen was found to produce an efficient therapeutic effect in decreasing worm load and causing tegumental damage of juvenile and adult worms. The ultrastructural features of all cell lines in the bone marrow were comparable in both treated (500 and 800 mg/kg body weight dose levels) and untreated groups showing normal cellularity, maturation and morphology. This denotes that the drug is non-toxic to the hemopoietic tissue.

IN CONCLUSION: Electron microscopy has provided a direct and accurate evidence of the nontoxic property of the plant extract on bone marrow using therapeutic doses. However, this study should be extended to other vital organs such as the liver or brain to establish the safety of this drug.