Toxicity and anticancer effects of an extract from Selaginella tamariscina on a mice model

Abstract

The toxicity and antitumour effect of the ethanol extract of Selaginella tamariscina (STE), a plant widely used in folk medicine, were examined in a mice model. In the single-dose acute toxicity test, an oral administration of 10,000 mg kg⁻¹ STE did not cause any lethality. The sub-acute toxicity study showed that the treatment by 250, 1000 and 3000 mg kg⁻¹day⁻¹ for 30 continuous days did neither alter the body weights nor the haematological parameters in BALB/c mice. The anticancer effect of STE was evaluated in BALB/c mice inoculated with Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Oral administration of STE could not prevent the tumour formation but provided strong inhibition of tumour growth.

Keywords:

• Selaginella tamariscina
• acute toxicity
• sub-acute toxicity
• anticancer

Acknowledgements

This study is supported by a grant of the Research Foundation of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, VAST (125/QD-KHCNVN). We thank Dr Ngo Van Trai, National Institute of Medicinal Materials, for the identification of the plant materials.