Acute Dermal Toxicity study of Terminalia myriocarpa Van Heurck & Mull. Agr. leaves extract in Rattus norvegicus rats.

Ethnopharmaco-toxicological relevance: The acute dermal toxicity study is a key component of preclinical toxicological assessment, designed to evaluate whether dermally applied substances produce systemic or local adverse effects. Aim of the study: This research intended to assess the acute dermal toxicity of Terminalia Myriocarpa Van Heurck & Mull. Agr. belongs to family Combretaceae leaves extract at fixed dose 2000 mg/Kg followed (OECD) guidelines 402, acute dermal toxicity refers to adverse reactions observed shortly after a single dose of the test extract/substance applied to the skin of Rattus norvegicus rat model to validate safe dose and evaluate toxicity parameters. Material and method: T. myriocarpa methanolic (TMM) extract single dermal application following the standards set by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD Guideline 402 (OECD 1987a) applied on both male and female Wistar rats (n=10). All rats were closely monitored twice daily for 14 consecutive days to record any signs of skin irritation, changes in general behavior, or mortality. Body weight, food intake, water consumption. Haematological, biochemical parameters and lipid profile were evaluated throughout the observation period to assess systemic toxicity. Results and Conclusion:. Across the 14-day observation period biochemical analysis, including lipid profile, SGOT, and SGPT, showed no significant deviations, supporting the absence of hepatic or metabolic toxicity. In conclusion, dermal application of TMM, with no significant change (p>0.05), did not produce mortality, systemic toxicity, or target organ damage at the tested limit dose. Apart from minor, transient changes in body weight in the TMM group, all measured parameters—including clinical signs, feed and water consumption, haematology, biochemistry, and organ weights—remained within normal ranges. Based on OECD and GHS classification, extract upto dose 2000 mg/Kg may be considered relatively safe and unclassified for acute dermal toxicity.