Thujone and thujone-containing herbal medicinal and botanical products: Toxicological assessment

Pelkonen, Olavi; Abass, Khaled; Wiesner, Jacqueline

doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.11.002

Cited by 116 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The nectar in A. ferox is said to be a narcotic and produce weakness of the joints if ingested in large amounts (Hutchings et al, 1996). Similarly, the leaves of A. afra contain thujone which is dangerous in extremely high doses (above 15 mg), and have been shown to cause convulsions as well as some subtle effects on attention and mood (Pelkonen et al, 2013;Wink and Van Wyk, 2008). Thujone is also said to be responsible for neurotoxic and hallucinogenic effects (Hutchings, et al, 1996).…”

Section: Medicinal Plants Usedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Kose

Moteetee

Vuuren

2015

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

106

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Section: Medicinal Plants Usedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Kose

Moteetee

Vuuren

2015

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

106

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“…Thujone or thujone-containing products have been reported to cause central nervous system disturbances which can lead to convulsions and ultimately to unconsciousness and death [53]. Similarly, licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) commonly used for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and gastric and duodenal ulcers has been reported to cause suppression of the renin-aldosterone system, resulting in sodium and water retention, hypokalemia, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and myopathy in cases of prolonged use [54, 55].…”

Section: Evidence-based Herbal Drug Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Underestimating the Toxicological Challenges Associated with the Use of Herbal Medicinal Products in Developing Countries

Neergheen-Bhujun

2013

BioMed Research International

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Various reports suggest a high contemporaneous prevalence of herb-drug use in both developed and developing countries. The World Health Organisation indicates that 80% of the Asian and African populations rely on traditional medicine as the primary method for their health care needs. Since time immemorial and despite the beneficial and traditional roles of herbs in different communities, the toxicity and herb-drug interactions that emanate from this practice have led to severe adverse effects and fatalities. As a result of the perception that herbal medicinal products have low risk, consumers usually disregard any association between their use and any adverse reactions hence leading to underreporting of adverse reactions. This is particularly common in developing countries and has led to a paucity of scientific data regarding the toxicity and interactions of locally used traditional herbal medicine. Other factors like general lack of compositional and toxicological information of herbs and poor quality of adverse reaction case reports present hurdles which are highly underestimated by the population in the developing world. This review paper addresses these toxicological challenges and calls for natural health product regulations as well as for protocols and guidance documents on safety and toxicity testing of herbal medicinal products.

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“…Carvones have been described as antibacterial and antifungal agents, and references therein and also as an inhibitor of the viability and proliferation of Hep‐2 cells . Thujone is considered toxic to brain and liver cells, as demonstrated in several articles . In this study, no compound was found to produce cell damage in a murine neuron culture system, either after short (30 min) or long exposure times (up to 24 h), as demonstrated by the MTT assay at concentrations necessary for activity at the GABA A ‐R.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 56%

Inhibitory Effects of Carvone Isomers on the GABA_A Receptor in Primary Cultures of Rat Cortical Neurons

2014

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Carvone is a natural terpene which can be purified as R-(-) or S-(+) enantiomers. There are many reports about its antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticide activities, and also of some effects on the nervous system, where both enantiomers showed different potencies. Considering that the GABA(A) receptor is a major insecticide target, we studied the pharmacological activity of both carvone enantiomers, and of thujone as a reference compound acting on the receptor, on native GABA(A) by determining their effects on benzodiazepine recognition sites using primary neuronal cultures. Both isomers were able to inhibit the GABA-induced stimulation of [(3)H]flunitrazepam binding, suggesting their interaction with the GABA(A) receptor as negative allosteric modulators. Their activity was comparable to that described for thujone in the present article, with the R-(-)-carvone being the more similar and potent stereoisomer. The different configuration of the isopropenyl group in position 5 thus seems to be significant for receptor interaction and the bicycle structure not to be critical for receptor recognition. The concentrations necessary to induce negative modulation of the receptor were not cytotoxic in a murine neuron culture system. These results confirm that, at least partially, the reported insecticidal activity of carvones may be explained by their interaction with the GABA(A) receptor at its noncompetitive blocker site.

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Thujone and thujone-containing herbal medicinal and botanical products: Toxicological assessment

Cited by 116 publications

References 39 publications

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Underestimating the Toxicological Challenges Associated with the Use of Herbal Medicinal Products in Developing Countries

Inhibitory Effects of Carvone Isomers on the GABA_A Receptor in Primary Cultures of Rat Cortical Neurons

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Thujone and thujone-containing herbal medicinal and botanical products: Toxicological assessment

Cited by 116 publications

References 39 publications

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho

Underestimating the Toxicological Challenges Associated with the Use of Herbal Medicinal Products in Developing Countries

Inhibitory Effects of Carvone Isomers on the GABAA Receptor in Primary Cultures of Rat Cortical Neurons

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Inhibitory Effects of Carvone Isomers on the GABA_A Receptor in Primary Cultures of Rat Cortical Neurons