Evaluating cytotoxicity of methyl benzoate in vitro

Heeyoun Bunch,Jungeun Park,Hyeseung Choe,Md Munir Mostafiz,Jang-Eok Kim,Kyeong-Yeoll Lee

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03351

Abstract

Methyl benzoate (MB) is a small, hydrophobic organic compound that is isolated from the freshwater fern, Salvinia molesta. Because of its pleasant odor, it has been used as a fragrance and flavor enhancer. In addition, it is used to attract orchid bees for pollination in the farm and has been tested for its potential to be developed as a green pesticide targeting a diverse group of insects. In spite of its wide applications, the safety of MB to humans remains poorly understood. In this study, we tested the cytotoxicity of MB against cultured human cells, including kidney, colon, and neuronal cells. Furthermore, other natural and synthetic benzoic acids such as ethyl benzoate (EB) and vinyl benzoate (VB) were compared with MB for their similarity and broad commercial and industrial applications. We found that MB and VB have the least and most overall toxicity to the tested human cells, respectively. In addition, the expression of some genes involved in cell cycle, protein quality control, and neurotransmission such as cyclin D1, HSP70, and ACHE genes was differentially expressed in the presence of these chemicals, most noticeably in treatment of VB. Our study provided the LC50 values of these benzoic acids for human cells in vitro and suggested their mild toxicity that should be considered in the industrial and agricultural applications to be within safe limits.

Highlights

Sustainable agriculture fits into modern agriculture and aims to promote farming practices and methods that are profitable, environmentfriendly, and good for communities
Given that Methyl benzoate (MB) and ethyl benzoate (EB) have the great potential to be developed into green pesticides with less impact on the environment (Feng et al, 2018), we examined their cytotoxicity in cultured human cells, including human embryonic kidney (HEK293), colon (CACO2), and neuronal (SH-SY5Y) cells in vitro
4 Â 104 cells were seeded in each well and MB, EB, or vinyl benzoate (VB) was applied according to targeted concentrations

Summary

Introduction

Sustainable agriculture fits into modern agriculture and aims to promote farming practices and methods that are profitable, environmentfriendly, and good for communities. The growing population demands an increase in the amount of agricultural produces, either by expanding the farming areas or intensification of agriculture (Pretty and Bharucha, 2014). It is worthy to note that many insect pests have acquired resistance to the pesticides that are used currently, demanding the development of the new pesticides (Georghiou and Mellon, 1983). Depending on their origin, pesticides are categorized as natural, naturally derived, or synthetic. Natural pesticides can be carcinogenic and as damaging as synthetic pesticides

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