Assessment of the effect of Vitex doniana aqueous leaf extract on pancreatic and cardiac tissues of healthy adult Wistar rats

Abstract

Objective: Vitex doniana Sweet (Black plum) is widely used in African traditional medicine for diabetes and hypertension, but systematic histopathological safety data on the pancreas and heart are lacking. This study evaluated the histological safety profile of Vitex doniana aqueous leaf extract on the pancreas and heart of healthy adult Wistar rats.Materials and Methods: Eighteen adult male Wistar rats were evaluated across two parallel screening studies (n=3/group). Groups received oral distilled water (control), 1500 mg/kg extract (low dose), or 3000 mg/kg extract (high dose) once daily for 10 days. Body weights were recorded. Pancreatic and cardiac tissues were processed for routine haematoxylin and eosin light microscopy. Data were analysed using two way repeated measures analysis of variance.Results: Analysis of variance showed a significant main effect of time (p < 0.001) but no significant group–time interaction (p = 0.117), indicating normal growth across all groups. Pancreatic histology revealed completely preserved architecture in all groups. In contrast, myocardial sections from treated groups displayed dose dependent interstitial oedema without necrosis, fibrosis or inflammation.Conclusion: In this preliminary screening, Vitex doniana aqueous leaf extract showed an excellent pancreatic safety profile but induced subclinical myocardial interstitial oedema in healthy rats. These findings warrant confirmation in larger cohorts and disease relevant models before extrapolation to human use.