Introduction:

Ethanolic and hydroalcoholic extracts of Ageratum fastigiatum are used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.

Aim:

To evaluate toxicity in Artemia salina and in the cells of the connective tissue of mice (L929).

Methodology:

The extract was partitioned and its hexane, dichloromethane and hydroalcoholic phases were submitted to the same test. The phytochemical screening of the phases of the extract was performed using tests aimed at the detection of secondary metabolites and GC-MS. Regarding A. salina, the hydroalcoholic phase exhibited the highest toxicity (LC50, 1.33 mg/mL) and the crude ethanolic extract was the least toxic (LC50, 4.81 mg/mL). In the assay of L929 cells, the dichloromethane phase was the most toxic (95.48% reduction in cell viability; LC50, 11.39 µg/mL), while the hydroalcoholic phase was the least toxic (cell death percentage, 55.67-19.38 %; LC50, 174.20 µg/mL).

Result:

The phytochemical study indicated the presence of alkaloids, coumarins, saponins, triterpenes/steroids and tannins. The GC-MS analysis identified the presence of terpenoids and a lycopsamine derivative (a pyrrolizidine alkaloid).

Conclusion:

These results suggest that the ethanolic extract of A. fastigiatum had constituents (i.e., phenolic compounds) that corroborate its use in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, the toxicity detected and the presence of 3'-acetyl lycopsamine (a chemotaxonomic marker of the genus that is hepatotoxic) indicates that this medicinal plant should be used with caution.