title: Oral acute and subchronic toxicity studies of the oil extracted from pequi (Caryocar brasiliense, Camb.) pulp in rats.
abstract: The Caryocar brasiliense (pequi) is a Brazilian fruit of important geographic distribution and of broad popular use for nutritional purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicological potential of pequi through the acute and subchronic toxicity tests. For the acute toxicity test, female Wistar rats received, orally, a single dose of 2000 mg/kg/bw of pequi oil and were observed for 14 days. In subchronic toxicity test, Wistar male and female rats received, orally, repeated doses of 125, 250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg/bw of the oil, being treated and observed for 28 days. In the acute toxicity test, no changes as well as no mortality were observed, indicating that the LD50is higher than 2000 mg/kg/bw. In the subchronic toxicity test, the tested doses produced no significant changes in behavioral, physiological, biochemical or histopathologic parameters in animals. Some hematological abnormalities were found after subchronic exposure and need to be clarified. These results demonstrate the low toxicity of acute and subchronic to the oil of pequi in rats. However, additional studies are required in order to verify if the hematological abnormalities have any relation to the oil exposure and also provide sufficient safety evidence for the use of the oil in humans.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: giselitraesel@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giseli Karenina
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Traesel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sara Emilia Lima Tolouei
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Menegati
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ariany Carvalho
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roosevelt Isaias
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Carvalho Souza
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Roberto
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Villas Boas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exact Sciences and Technology, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscilla Narciso
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Justi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Candida Aparecida Leite
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kassuya
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exact Sciences and Technology, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eliana Janet
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sanjinez Argandoña
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia Aparecida
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Oesterreich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D020448:Ericales / Q000737:chemistry*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000633:toxicity*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute / Q000379:methods*; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils
keywords: LD(50); Preclinical studies; Repeated doses; Safety