In vivo Safety Profiling of Nilavembu Kudineer and Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam in Zebrafish Embryos

Background: Siddha medicine is one of the most ancient medical systems of India in which Nilavembu Kudineer Chooranam (NKC) and Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam (KKC) were commonly used preparations for various ailments. Objective: This study aimed to assess the teratogenic effects and determine the LC50 values of Nilavembu Kudineer Chooranam (NKC) and Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam (KKC) using zebrafish embryos as a model. Methodology: The study was conducted as per the OECD Test Guideline 236 using zebrafish embryos. Each group consisted of 20 embryos, with two replicates per drug. The aqueous extracts of NKC and KKC were prepared and for NKC, a dose range 750–12,000 µg/mL, while for KKC, it was 10–640 µg/mL were used as test concentrations. The developing embryos were monitored for mortality, hatchability, and developmental abnormalities at 5, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours post-fertilization (hpf). Results: The LC50 value for NKC at 96 hpf was determined to be 2208 µg/mL, with no evidence of teratogenicity. For KKC, no mortality or teratogenic effects were observed at the tested concentrations. Conclusion: The current findings demonstrates that NKC produces 50% mortality at the concentration of 2208 µg/mL, dose dependent hatchability and no developmental abnormalities up to 96 hpf. Whereas, KKC produced no mortality, teratogenicity and 100% hatchability at the tested concentrations up to 96 hpf.