Abstract

Sida rhombifolia L., popularly known in Brazil as "SIDA" or "mata-pasto", is considered a weed; a plant of the American continent and widely distributed in North Africa, belongs to the Malvaceae family. In Brazil, S. rhombifolia L. is scattered throughout the national territory, infesting agricultural crops. Certain species of the genus Sida, including S. rhombifolia, are widely used in Indian, Chinese, African and American medicine. The present study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the non - clinical acute toxicity of crude ethanolic extract (CEE) obtained from S. rhombifolia L. In treated males, there was a statistically significant reduction in water and feed intake. Biochemical analyzes showed statistically significant changes in the parameters of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and creatinine; hematological parameters showed altered erythrocytes, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and eosinophil parameters; observed only in treated male animals. The animals' organs showed no significant changes. The results suggest that the ethanolic extract obtained from S. rhombifolia L. presents low acute dose toxicity. However, chronic toxicological studies should be performed to demonstrate the safety of long-term use of the drug.

Key words: Sida rhombifolia L., acute non-clinical toxicity, hematological parameters, biochemical analyses, histopathological parameters.