Toxicity of cichorium pumilum (elik)‎ to grazing animals and detoxification using silybum marianum (khurfeish)‎ : a study in the hepatic cell line hepg2

Abstract EN

This research aims to assess the toxicity of C.

pumilum on grazing animals and offers recommendations for farmers in the event of intoxication.

Toxicity was determined us-ing the hepatic cell line HepG2.

C.

pumilum plants were extracted using ethanol 50%, and a series of graduated concentrations were added to HepG2.

The effect was evaluated using the MTT assay measuring the viability of cells in addition to NO assay measuring the mortality of cells.

Using the MTT assay, a clear inhibitor effect on the HepG2 cell line was found at 10000 µg of Elik plant dry material / ml of RPMI medium.

The toxicity at this level is close to the toxicity of Defla (used here as a positive toxicity control).

The inhibiting effect continued at larger concentration (25000 µg of plant dry material/ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium).

A kind of “stability or saturation” plateau was found at larger concentrations (50000-200000 µg of plant dry material / ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium).

To confirm results found by MTT assay, we conducted the same experiment using the NO assay.

A small toxicity effect was demonstrated at 10000 and 25000 µg of plant dry material/ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium.

The effect becomes stronger as the plant extract increases (at 50000, 75000, 100000 and attained the maximum at 200000 µg of plant dry material /ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium).

Interestingly, when Silybum marianum (Khurfeish) extract was added at 2000 µg of plant dry material / ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium, it showed strong cell regeneration (antidotal) potentials in the HepG2 cell line even when Elik was added at 10000 µg of plant dry material/ml of RPMI HepG2 cells medium.

This has a clear potential for using the available Khurfeish in the Palestinian environment at a concentration equivalent to 1/5 of the concentration of the toxic plant in case of intoxication by Elik and possibly other toxic plants.

Furtherm more, the antidotal effects of Khurfeish become less effective as the concentration of the Elik increases.

Research is ongoing to validate these results ultimately, in vivo.