RESUMO
Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut) leaf is traditionally used for the treatment of insomnia in Asia. However, studies describing the safety and toxicity profile for this plant preparation are limited. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the toxicity of peanut leaf hydroalcoholic extract (PLHE) repeated treatment. The extract was administered orally (100, 300 or 1000 mg/kg) in male and female Wistar rats for 28 days (OECD guideline 407). PLHE treatment did not cause mortality or weight variation in the animals. Also, there was no alteration on locomotor activity (open field test), motor coordination (rotarod test), or anxiety behaviour (elevated plus-maze test). Male rats had a reduction in relative liver weight (100 mg/kg) and an increase in total kidney weight (1000 mg/kg), but there was no change in biochemical and haematological parameters after PLHE treatment. Free extracellular double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) levels was also evaluated, but PLHE treatment did not increase this parameter in rat organs. Also, the dose of 1000 mg/kg of PLHE significantly increased the total thiols in the liver of females compared with the control animals. Thus, PLHE did not induce toxicity after repeated exposure for 28 days in rats.