Assessment of clinical chemistry and hematological parameters in female Sprague-Dawley rats following a 7-day oral exposure to three different species of Echinacea

Abstract

Echinacea has grown in popularity due to its broad therapeutic benefits. Despite its popularity, comprehensive safety evaluations for three medicinal species are limited. In this study, female Sprague-Dawley rats received oral doses (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg/d) of 75% (v/v) ethanol extract from the aerial parts of 9 Echinacea samples of three species - Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, and Echinacea pallida - over a 7-day period. Blood and serum samples, collected twenty-four hours post the final dose, were analyzed for hematology and clinical chemistry parameters. The results revealed varied effects across the tested samples, with many parameters showing no discernible impacts at administered doses. Subtle alterations were observed in parameters such as relative liver weight, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and platelet count. Parameters like relative spleen weight, alanine transaminase (ALT), glucose, urea, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and RBC count exhibited effects in only one out of the nine samples tested. These findings emphasize the heterogeneity in the effects of Echinacea. While the results suggest that Echinacea samples might be considered relatively safe, potential clinical implications warrant caution and underscore the importance of extended testing. A comprehensive toxicity profile assessment remains paramount to conclusively ascertain the safety of three Echinacea species.

Keywords:

• Echinacea
• female Sprague-Dawley rats
• hematology
• clinical chemistry
• dietary supplements
• corn oil diet
• safety
• toxicity

Authors’ contribution

J.D.C. collected and provided plant samples from USDA-ARS NCRPIS. All authors designed the studies. S.K.N. wrote the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data availability statement

Data will be available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.