Abstract

Background:
Ocimum sanctum is used as a natural treatment for a variety of conditions and has been proven to possess a diverse array of therapeutic functions supported by pharmacological evidence.

Aim:
This study investigated the acute toxicity and determined the safe doses of O. sanctum Linn. ethanolic extracts, commonly used in traditional herbal medicine, using zebrafish embryos and murine models.

Methods: Ac
ute oral toxicity was used on 25 adult male Deutschland, Denken, and Yoken albino mice weighing 35–45 g, which were divided into five groups based on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 423. The O. sanctum Linn. Ethanolic extracts were given once and followed by observation for 15 days, after which the mice were sacrificed for hematological, biochemical, macroscopic, and histopathological organ analysis. The acute toxicity test for zebrafish embryos used five treatment concentrations, where one concentration group used 20 embryos placed on a plate and observed every 24–96 hours. Observations include hatchability, life or death of zebrafish embryos based on the occurrence of embryo coagulation, somite formation, tail release, and observations of abnormalities, including the presence or absence of heart rate.

Results:
The analysis results show the O. sanctum Linn. ethanolic extract proposes no toxicity according to acute oral toxicity in mice model and is considered relatively safe with an LC50 classification of category V (100 mg/L< LC50) in the zebrafish embryo acute toxicity test.

Conclusion:
These studies conducted by a combination of mice and zebrafish models have collectively demonstrated that the ethanolic extract of O. sanctum Linn. is safe for use.

Key words: Acute toxicity; Ethanolic extracts; Holy basil; Ocimum sanctum Linn; Zebrafish.