title: Acute and subacute oral toxicity of Litsea elliptica Blume essential oil in rats.
abstract: Litsea elliptica Blume has been traditionally used to treat headache, fever, and stomach ulcer, and has also been used as an insect repellent. The acute and subacute toxicities of L. elliptica essential oil were evaluated orally by gavage in female Sprague-Dawley rats. For the acute toxicity study, L. elliptica essential oil was administered in doses from 500 to 4000 mg/kg (single dose), and in the subacute toxicity test, the following doses were used: 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg, for 28 consecutive days. In the acute toxicity study, L. elliptica essential oil caused dose-dependent adverse behaviours and mortality. The median lethal dose value was 3488.86 mg/kg and the acute non-observed-adversed-effect level value was found to be 500 mg/kg. The subacute toxicity study of L. elliptica essential oil did not reveal alterations in body weight, and food and water consumptions. The haematological and biochemical analyses did not show significant differences between control and treated groups in most of the parameters examined, except for the hemoglobin, mean cell hemoglobin concentration, mean cell volume, mean cell hemoglobin, serum albumin, and serum sodium. However, these differences were still within the normal range. No abnormalities or histopathological changes were observed in the liver, pancreatic islet of Langerhans, and renal glomerulous and tubular cells of all treated groups. In conclusion, L. elliptica essential oil can be classified in the U group, which is defined as a group unlikely to present an acute hazard according to World Health Organization (WHO) classification.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Science Programme, School of Diagnostic and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Siti Balkis
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Budin
authors.forename: Seri Masran
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Siti Nor Ain
authors.forename: Baharuddin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.forename: Izatus Shima
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Taib
authors.forename: Othman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hidayatulfathi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006413:Hematopoietic System / Q000187:drug effects; D007302:Insect Repellents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D032862:Litsea / Q000633:toxicity*; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007302:Insect Repellents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils