Evaluation of toxicity and clot lysis activity of thymol.

Abstract

Thymol (TML) is a highly adaptable compound that has numerous practical uses in fields including medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, food production, and agriculture, among many others. The focus of our study was twofold: firstly, to investigate the toxicity of TML, and secondly, to explore the potential thrombolytic activity of TML. The investigation was carried out to assess the toxicity of TML using the eukaryotic test model Allium cepa (A. cepa). To conduct the experiment, various concentrations of TML were applied to A. cepa for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Distilled water was used as a vehicle while, CuSO4 (0.6 µg/mL) served as the positive control. The length of the roots of the onions was measured in millimeters, and the findings indicated that TML exhibited toxicity in onions in a manner that depended on both the concentration and duration of exposure. At lower concentrations, the longest root length was observed, whereas root growth was hindered with increasing concentrations of TML and exposure time. This inhibition was attributed to the deposition of chemicals and interference with cell division in the root meristematic region of A. cepa. To investigate the thrombolytic ability of TML, an experimental model (in vitro) was used in a laboratory setting. Streptokinase was utilized as a reference or positive control, while water was used as a negative control. The findings of the study revealed that TML exhibited a moderate percentage of clot lysis compared to streptokinase. This effect was dependent on the dosage of TML, and the clot-lytic activity of TML was considerably lower than that of streptokinase.