Comparative evaluation of different detoxification treatments on Lantana camara leaves: Isolation, quantification, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity of Lantadene A.

Deficiency of feed and fodder year-round is the biggest challenge for livestock rearing in the context of climate change and global warming. Among the unconventional forage sources, Lantana camara has recently gained attention because of its widespread availability. The plant leaves contain a significant amount of protein and nutrients, which makes them a potential forage source. However, the occurrence of lantadenes is also responsible for hepatotoxicity in animals. Therefore, this study investigated the comparative evaluation of different detoxification treatments on L. camara leaves and their possible effects on nutritional composition, Lantadene A concentration, and in vitro cytotoxicity. The L. camara leaves were given eight different treatments, viz. shade-drying, sun-drying, soaking in water, chopping, activated-charcoal-treatment, aqueous Berberis lycium extract-treatment, aqueous Picrorhiza kurroa extract-treatment, and untreated leaves. Later, lantadenes were isolated from all the treated lantana leaves. Thin-layer chromatography was carried out for qualitative estimation of lantadenes, followed by quantification of lantadene A by UHPLC-PDA method. The quantitative analysis revealed a decrease in Lantadene A content in aqueous P. kurroa-treated leaves (453.2 mg/g) and those soaked in water (460.5 mg/g) as compared to untreated (490.9 mg/g). In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation on Caco-2 cell lines was done by MTT assay to determine the IC50 values. The analysis of the results revealed that soaking in water for 18 hours is expected to decrease the toxicity of L. camara leaves. The soaked leaves had higher crude protein (23.9%), ether extract (8.7%), and crude fibre (13.7%) contents. Therefore, this treatment needs to be further investigated in an in vivo model to find the safe level of inclusion in animal feed.