Animal Models in Phytopharmacology and Toxicological Testing of Plant Products

Faustino-Rocha, A. I.; Medeiros-Fonseca, B; Vala, Helena; Pires, Maria J.; Vasconcelos-Nóbrega, C.; Oliveira, Paula A.; Corresponding author: Faustino-Rocha, A. I..

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/8323

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Authors

Faustino-Rocha, A. I.

Medeiros-Fonseca, B

Vala, Helena

Pires, Maria J.

Vasconcelos-Nóbrega, C.

Oliveira, Paula A.

Corresponding author: Faustino-Rocha, A. I..

Abstract(s)

Plant products have been used worldwide for thousands of years in traditional medicine for their potential health benefits. Nowadays, plant products still play an important role in healthcare, especially in developing countries where the access to basic medicines and health facilities is inadequate. Although the plant products are presumed safe and there is a conviction that “It is natural, then it is harmless”, some of them have been associated with acute or chronic intoxications. The toxic effects include allergic reactions; carcinogenic action; cardiovascular, hematological, and neurological difficulties; gastrointestinal symptoms; renal or hepatic toxicity; and, in most severe cases, the death. Once safety is a major concern with the plant products to be used in animals or humans, it is important to conduct toxicity studies on them to ascertain their safety. Animals have been long used to study several diseases, and they are an invaluable tool to test the safety of plant products. This chapter aimed to offer a review concerning the animal models available for phytopharmacology and toxicological testing of plant products.