Oral acute and subchronic toxicity studies of the oil extracted from pequi (Caryocar brasiliense, Camb.) pulp in rats
Introduction
The use of products of vegetable origin, either as functional foods or medicinal plants, continue to expand rapidly throughout the world. Over the last decade in particular, it is possible to observe a significant increase in popular acceptance of natural therapies, both in developed and developing countries (Ekor, 2013). While global consumption of herbal medicines increase, concerns regarding the safety of using these products arise. Many plants that are consumed by the population, although they have promising pharmacological potential, have not been tested for possible adverse effects (Raynor et al., 2011).
Caryocar brasiliense, Camb., popularly known as “pequi” ou “piqui”, is a species that belongs to the Caryocaraceae family. The family is distributed along Central and South America, generally in tropical forests. C. brasiliense is the main representative of the Caryocaraceae family in Brazil and this species is widely distributed and cultivated throughout the Brazilian Cerrado (de Lima et al., 2007). The pulp of the fruit of this tree is used in traditional cuisine because of its distinctive flavor and rich chemical composition. Beyond its food consumption, the pulp and the fruit seed is used for vegetable oil production and in the cosmetic industry (Araujo, 1995). In phytotherapy, fruits and leaves of the plant are used to treat influenza, asthma and other respiratory diseases (Khouri et al., 2007). Pharmacological studies have shown that the plant has antigenotoxic, anti-clastogenic (Miranda-Vilela et al., 2008), anti-inflammatory and hypocholesterolemic activities (Miranda-Vilela et al., 2009a), besides chemopreventive effects in pre-neoplastic lesions in animal models (Palmeira et al, 2015, Colombo et al, 2015).
Regarding the chemical composition of the pulp, studies have shown high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid (de Lima et al, 2007, Facioli and Gonçalves, 1998), as well as phenolic compounds and carotenoides (de Lima et al, 2007, Godoy and Rodriguez-Amaya, 1994, Monteiro et al, 2015, Placido et al, 2015). These results show that the pequi pulp has a high antioxidant capacity.
Although C. brasiliense has therapeutic properties that have increased its use for human consumption, few studies have been conducted to assess the toxicological effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicological profile of the oil extracted from the pulp of C. brasiliense after a single (acute toxicity) or repeated exposure for 28 days (subchronic toxicity).
Section snippets
Plant material and preparation of oil
C. brasiliense fruits were collected in a Cerrado area from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul – Brazil (latitude 20° 26′ 34″ South and longitude 54° 38′ 47″ West) according to a permit issued by the Brazilian Environmental Agency (nº 54442-1 – MMA/ICMBio/SISBIO). The fruits were selected according to their state of maturation and then transported to the Laboratory of Food Technology of the Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD). The fruits were sanitized with water
Results and discussion
Medicinal plants and its derivatives have been widely used an alternative to allopathic drugs worldwide (Oliveira et al., 2011). Despite the high acceptability of the use of medicinal plants by the population, studies that evaluate the toxic pharmacology and potential of these plants are scarce (Almeida et al., 2014). The toxicological studies are necessary to determine the toxicity of products and establish criteria for selecting a safe dose (Farsi et al., 2013).
Regarding the fatty acids in
Conclusion
The results of this study demonstrate low toxicity after acute and subchronic oral exposure to the oil extracted from the pulp of Caryocar brasiliense. The LD50 was established as greater than 2000 mg/kg body weight. The oil did not elicit systemic toxicity after subchronic exposure on the treated animals, nevertheless some hematological abnormalities were found. Since the meaning of these alterations are not clear, further studies in animals and humans are required in order to investigate if
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank CAPES for the financial assistance and Dr. Ghazal Nabi Edavile for providing language help.
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