Hepatotoxicity caused after oral use of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. (Asphodelaceae): an integrative review

Hendyelle Rodrigues Ferreira e Silva
OrcID
Ana Cláudia de Brito Passos
OrcID
Maria Augusta Drago Ferreira
OrcID

    Hendyelle Rodrigues Ferreira e Silva

    Federal University of Ceará

    OrcID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4357-5302

    Pharmacy from the Federal University of Ceará (CRF-CE 10962). She worked for 1 year as a monitor in the discipline of General Pharmacology (2020-2021), Pharmacotechnics II (2022) and two years as a Scientific and Technological Initiation scholarship in the Pharmacology of Poisons and Toxins laboratory (2018-2020). She voluntarily interned for 1 month at the Forensic Expertise of the State of Ceará (PEFOCE). She worked as a pharmacy intern at SAC Farma da Pague Menos. She also completed an internship at the company Laborocha Filho-Laboratório de Patologia (2020-2021) and at the company Farmafórmula LTDA.

    Ana Cláudia de Brito Passos

    Federal University of Ceará

    OrcID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7837-5978

    He has a degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Ceará (1989), a master's degree (2008) and a doctorate (2020) in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Federal University of Ceará. He has experience in the field of Pharmacy, with an emphasis on Hospital Pharmacy, Patient Safety and Quality Management, working mainly on the following topics: information management, drug use studies, quality management tools, assessment of Patient Safety Culture . She has experience in tutoring Distance Education Courses and also worked as a facilitator in training for Community Health Agents in the area of medicines. She currently works in the Planning and Quality Office of the Municipal Hospital Dr. João Elísio de Holanda (HMJEH). She is a member of the UFC Drug Abuse Prevention Group and a pharmacist at the UFC Drug Information Center (CIM/UFC). She represents CIM/UFC in the Network of Information Centers of Latin America and the Caribbean (CIMLAC Network). She guides students in the area of safety and quality in healthcare and on topics related to the area of Pharmacy and professional practices in hospitals.

    Maria Augusta Drago Ferreira

    Federal University of Ceará

    OrcID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6767-1659

    Graduated in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (1978), Master in Toxicological Analysis from the University of São Paulo (1987) and PhD in Pharmacology from the Federal University of Ceará (2001). She is currently Associate Professor III, at the Federal University of Ceará, of the Disciplines of General Toxicology and Internship in Urgencies and Toxicological Emergencies for a degree in Pharmacy.

Keywords

Hepatic Insufficiency
Aloe
Dietary supplements
Medicinal plants
Toxicology

Abstract

The consumption of Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. (A. vera) may present serious health risks. The objective of this study was to assess the available information on hepatotoxicity cases following the ingestion of A. vera preparations by means of an integrative literature review. Thus, using the descriptors "hepatitis AND Aloe" and "liver AND Aloe", a search through PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases yielded eight papers for review. Hepatotoxicity cases, as reported by such studies, concerned mostly women (70%) – only 30% of individuals thus intoxicated were elderly and 80% of them had no comorbidities. Self-medication was the most reported exposure circumstance (60%). Chronic or subchronic exposures were most frequent (90%), the development of hepatocellular lesions being reported as equally prevalent (90%). All cases were classified as probable or definite using the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method. Interestingly, the discontinuation of use yielded a cure in all patients, thus allowing for the conclusion that A. vera was the agent responsible for hepatotoxicity in all cases. Such results emphasize the importance of expert professional guidance when using herbal preparations.

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Hepatotoxicity caused after oral use of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. (Asphodelaceae): an integrative review. Rev Fitos [Internet]. 2024 Jan. 26 [cited 2024 Dec. 3];18:e1567. Available from: https://revistafitos.far.fiocruz.br/index.php/revista-fitos/article/view/1567
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