Abstract
Purpose: To determine the chemical constituents of the volatile oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. from Mianyang in Sichuan Province of China, and assess the sub-chronic toxicity of the volatile oil in mice.Methods: The volatile chemical components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sixty Kunming mice were divided into six groups of ten mice each. One group served as control (no treatment), two groups were orally administered ρ-cymene at doses of 3 and 7 mg/kg, respectively, for 27 days, while three groups received the volatile oil at doses of 10, 25 and 40 mg/kg, respectively, for the same duration. Sub-chronic toxicity in the mice was evaluated by observing their general behavior, measuring serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), evaluating liver, heart, kidney and thymus indices, and assessing the histological morphology of the organs.Results: The volatile oil contained 14 chemical components, of which α-terpinene and ρ-cymene accounted for 32.89 and 24.25 %, respectively. The volatile oil caused significant (p < 0.05) increase in liver index, and serum AST and ALT levels, and also induced distinct morphological changes in mouse liver, heart and kidney.Conclusion: The main volatile components of the oil are α-terpinene and ρ-cymene. The volatile oil showed dose-dependent toxicity in mice, thus lending some support for the safe use of C. ambrosioides in traditional medicine.
 Keywords: Chenopodium ambrosioides, Volatile oil, Oral toxicity, AST and ALT, Histopathological changes
Highlights
Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is a perennial plant native to tropical America and widespread in many provinces of China [1,2]
Existing studies showed that chemical composition of the volatile oil derived from C. ambrosioides varied with countries and areas where the plants grow [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Previous studies demonstrated that the volatile oil of C. ambrosioides in Chengdu of Sichuan Province of China had anti-tumor effect: it effectively inhibited proliferation of human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and hepatocellular carcinoma cells SMMC-7721 in vitro [6,12], and the inhibition mechanism may be related to blocking cell cycle and inducing caspasedependent apoptosis of cancer cells [12]
Summary
Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is a perennial plant native to tropical America and widespread in many provinces of China [1,2]. Previous studies demonstrated that the volatile oil of C. ambrosioides in Chengdu of Sichuan Province of China had anti-tumor effect: it effectively inhibited proliferation of human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and hepatocellular carcinoma cells SMMC-7721 in vitro [6,12], and the inhibition mechanism may be related to blocking cell cycle and inducing caspasedependent apoptosis of cancer cells [12]. Evaluations of in vivo effects of the volatile oil derived from C. ambrosioides are necessary to ensure safe use of the volatile oil as herb medicine in practice.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
