Acrocomia aculeata, popularly known as “bocaiúva”, is a species used for nutritional purposes and for the treatment of various diseases, as it has, among other things, high levels of antioxidant compounds. This study aimed to assess the toxicological profile of A. aculeata, through acute and subacute toxicity tests. Male and female rats (Wistar) received by gavage 2000 mg/kg of oil extracted from the pulp of A. aculeata (OPAC) for the acute toxicity test and 125, 250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg of OPAC for subacute toxicity test. In the acute toxicity study no mortality or behavioral changes were observed in rats treated with 2000 mg/kg, indicating that the LD50 is higher than this dose. In the subacute toxicity test, the tested doses produced no significant changes in hematological, biochemical or histopathological parameters in the animals exposed. These results demonstrate the absence of acute and subacute toxicity after oral exposure to A. aculeata oil in rats. However, further studies in animals and in humans are needed in order to have sufficient safety evidence for its use in humans.
The present study shows that C. adamantium extract has anti-inflammatory, antihyperalgesic, and antidepressive properties in rodents without causing toxicity.
Diflubenzuron (DFB), an insecticide and acaricide insect growth regulator, can be used in agriculture against insect predators and in public health programs, to control insects and vectors, mainly Aedes aegypti larvae. Due to the lack of toxicological assessments of this compound, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the toxicological effects of subacute exposure to the DFB insecticide in adult male rats. Adult male rats were exposed (gavage) to 0, 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg of DFB for 28 days. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed in the DFB-treated animals of the experimental groups. However, there was an increase in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase in the group that received 8 mg/kg/DFB/day and urea at doses of 4 and 8 mg/kg/DFB/day, without altering other biochemical or hematological parameters. The subacute exposure to the lowest dose of DFB caused significant decrease in testis weight, daily sperm production, and in number of sperm in the epididymis in relation to the control group. However, no alterations were observed in the sperm morphology, testicular, epididymis, liver and kidney histology, or testosterone levels. These findings unveiled the hazardous effects of DFB on male reproduction after the subacute exposure and special attention should be addressed to the effects of low doses of this pesticide.
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