Major Phytochemical asγ‐Sitosterol Disclosing and Toxicity Testing in Lagerstroemia Species

Medicinal plants in genusLagerstroemiawere investigated for phytochemical contents by GC‐MS and HPLC with ethanol and hexane extracts and their toxicity MTT and comet assay on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).γ‐Sitosterol is the major component found in all species at 14.70–34.44%. All of the extracts, except forL. speciosaethanol extract, showed high percentages of cell viability. The IC50value, 0.24 mg/mL, of ethanolL. speciosaextract predicted an LD50of 811.78 mg/kg, which belongs to WHO Class III of toxic chemicals. However, in‐depth toxicity evaluation by the comet assay showed that the four tested species induced significant (p< 0.05) DNA damage in PBMCs.γ‐Sitosterol was previously reported to possess antihyperglycemic activity by increasing insulin secretion in response to glucose. Nonetheless, consumers should consider its toxicity, and the amount of consumption should be of concern.