Abstract
Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. (Arecaceae), popularly known as “bacuri”, is used in Brazilian folk medicine. Its oil is used orally to relieve pulmonary congestion and joint pain. In topical applications, it is applied as an effective hair tonic and anti-dandruff. The in natura pulp and its nuts are used as food because of its nutritional value. Despite its use in folk medicine, there is a lack of data regarding its in vivo/in vitro cytotoxic/genotoxic and clastogenic effects. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the cytotoxic, genotoxic and clastogenic effects of Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. oil (APMO) in vitro and in vivo. For the analysis of cytotoxic potential, the Artemia salina and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethizzol-zyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays were performed. Possible cytotoxic, genotoxic and clastogenic effects of APMO intake were determined by performing the comet and micronucleus assays. Male and female Wistar rats were orally treated with doses of 125, 250, 500 or 1000 mg.kg-1 of the APMO daily for 28 consecutive days (four weeks). The results showed that the APMO did not induce cell death in the experiments of Artemia salina and MTT, indicating that it has no cytotoxicity. The APMO did not cause significant damage to the DNA of the rats in the four doses used when compared to the negative control group (saline + Tween® 80). The APMO did not present any significant increase in micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) for the four tested doses. When compared to the positive control group, all groups (comet and micronucleus tests) were statistically different. These data suggest that the administration of Attalea phalerata Mart oil. ex Spreng does not cause cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and clastogenicity in experimental models in vitro and in vivo following oral administration in this study.
Highlights
The therapeutic use of natural products, including medicinal plants, has become increasingly common
Previous pharmacological studies performed with fruit pulp oils from the Cerrado with high levels of carotenoids, have shown great anti-edematogenicpotential in rats [7, 13] Quantitative values for β-carotene were evaluated in other fruits from the Cerrado, such as the Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (42.4 μg/g), Annona crassiflora Mart. (19.7 μg/g), Eugenia dysenterica DC. (3.96 μg/g), Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart. (3.96 μg/g) e Hancornia speciosa Gomes (0.6 μg/g) [28]
The results of the brine shrimp nauplii survival rates were not statistically different (p
Summary
The therapeutic use of natural products, including medicinal plants, has become increasingly common. Due to the biological activity of these compounds, the evaluation of the toxic potential is essential for the safe and effective use of medicinal plants [3, 4]. The phytochemical study of plants and foods with medicinal properties are important in order to learn about the natural compounds and their mechanisms of action [5, 6]. Some fruits of the Cerrado have similar chemical constituents, such as carotenoids and fatty acids. These compounds are of paramount importance to the pharmaceutical industry because of its pharmacological potential. Studies with Cerrado fruits have demonstrated pharmacological activities in rats [7, 13, 14]
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