Acute and subchronic toxicity as well as mutagenic evaluation of essential oil from turmeric (Curcuma longa L)

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 53; pp. 52 - 61
• Main Authors: Liju, Vijayasteltar B, Jeena, Kottarapat, Kuttan, Ramadasan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Chemical mutagenesis; Chromosome Aberrations - drug effects; Comet Assay; Curcuma - chemistry; Curcuma - toxicity; Curcuma longa; DNA Damage - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; General pharmacology; Genotoxicity; Male; Medical sciences; Mutagenecity; Mutagens - toxicity; No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; Oils, Volatile - analysis; Oils, Volatile - toxicity; Organ Size - drug effects; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - analysis; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Salmonella typhimurium; Salmonella typhimurium - drug effects; Salmonella typhimurium - metabolism; Subchronic toxicity; Toxicity Tests, Acute; Toxicity Tests, Subchronic; Toxicology; Turmeric essential oil; Urinalysis; Wistar rats; Wistar rats; Subchronic toxicity; Mutagenecity; Genotoxicity; Turmeric essential oil; Monocotyledones; Subchronic; Rat; Toxicity; Mutagen; Angiospermae; Essential oil; Nucleic acid; Evaluation; Biochemical compound; Acute; Rodentia; Spice; Foodstuff; Turmeric; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Curcuma longa; Animal; DNA; Plant origin; Flavoring crop; Spermatophyta; Zingiberaceae
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2012.11.027

► Ar-turmerone is the major constituent of turmeric essential oil. ► Oral administration up to 5g/kg b.wt. turmeric essential oil safe to rats. ► Thirteen weeks oral administration safe up to 0.5g/kg b.wt. in rats. ► Turmeric essential oil did not produce any mutagenicity up to 3mg/plate. ► Oral administration of 1g/kg b.wt. turmeric essential oil did not produce any genotoxicity. The present study investigated the acute, subchronic and genotoxicity of turmeric essential oil (TEO) from Curcuma longa L. Acute administration of TEO was done as single dose up to 5g of TEO per kg body weight and subchronic toxicity study for thirteen weeks was done by daily oral administration of TEO at doses 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5g/kg b.wt. in Wistar rats. There were no mortality, adverse clinical signs or changes in body weight; water and food consumption during acute as well as subchronic toxicity studies. Indicators of hepatic function such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were unchanged in treated animals compared to untreated animals. Oral administration of TEO for 13weeks did not alter total cholesterol, triglycerides, markers of renal function, serum electrolyte parameters and histopathology of tissues. TEO did not produce any mutagenicity to Salmonella typhimurium TA-98, TA-100, TA-102 and TA-1535 with or without metabolic activation. Administration of TEO to rats (1g/kg b.wt.) for 14days did not produce any chromosome aberration or micronuclei in rat bone marrow cells and did not produce any DNA damage as seen by comet assay confirming the non toxicity of TEO.