Chemical Composition and Toxicity of Ocimum sanctum L. Var. Cubensis Essential Oil Up-Growing in the Eastern of Cuba

Abstract

Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis (OS) is a valuable medicinal plant. Some varieties have been reported and some of them remain almost unstudied. The aim of this study is therefore to evaluate the chemical composition and the in vitro/in vivo toxicity of the leaves essential oil from O. sanctum, up growing wild in the Eastern region of Cuba. The essential oil was extracted by in a Clevenger type apparatus and characterized by its chemical components helped by a Gas Chromatograph coupled to a Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). For the evaluation of cytotoxicity, primary cultures of embryonic cardiac cells (ECC) were obtained from Swiss mice and purified, uninfected ECC cultures were exposed to compound studied at 37 ºC for 24, 48 and 72 h (up to 1200µg/mL). The cell death rates were measured by the PrestoBlue colorimetric assay. For the studies of Oral Acute Toxicity and Dermal Acute Toxicity, Sprague Dawley rats were used as biological models, fulfilling the guides 423 and 402 of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Research Ethical Committee. The essential oil from the leaves of O. sanctum L. var. cubensis up growing wild in the eastern region of Cuba presented 20 compounds defined as the major components: Eugenol (21.96%), β-caryophyllene (20.79%) and Bicyclogermacrene (20.38%). At the maximum concentration the OS essential oil barely provokes the 5% of cell death, meaning that this substance does not result toxic for ECC at the concentration evaluated. In vivo studies also classified OS essential oil as not toxic do not showing any acute or oral toxicity (dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight). The obtained result indicates that the oil can be considered safe; harmless topically and orally showed no in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies.

Effect of Substrates on Catalytic Activity of Biogenic Palladium Nanoparticles in C–C Cross-Coupling Reactions

“…Additionally, other phytochemicals such as flavanoids, essential oils, and phenolic contents are also present which may also assist in the reduction/stabilization of metal NPs. 36−41…”

Imágenes. Encrucijadas interdisciplinares

“…It is possible to observe women washing clothes with the responsibility of taking care of children: a very common scene of populations in the dry lands of Pernambuco. It is captured to which extent the daily rituals crystallize gender (Butler, 2003;Nuñez, 2018), exemplified in the work by the act of washing the family's clothes and the feminine caregiving, domesticize the women and difficulting, many times, the exercise of functions other than the ones connected to housing. The work reveals a certain degree of disruption with art produced in the community of Alto do Moura, where most of the artisans portray quotidian scenes of the male universe, always mediated by the male protagonism of the scene.…”

Bioactive Essential Oils from Cuban Plants: An Inspiration to Drug Development

“…For example, for in-vitro determinations, the median cytotoxic concentrations (CC 50 ) were determined and the samples could be classified as highly toxic (CC 50 < 10 µg/mL), toxic (10 < CC 50 < 100 µg/mL), moderately toxic (100 < CC 50 < 1000 µg/mL) and potentially non-toxic (CC 50 > 1000 µg/mL). Some studied EOs from Cuban plants showed a CC 50 > 100 µg/mL, including those from: B. graveolens [27], C. linearis [29], O. tenuiflorum [31], P. amboinicus [32], P. auritum [43] and T. lucida [25]. Other EOs, using different in vivo models have demonstrated certain levels of safety, such as the EOs from A. absinthium [21], C. linearis [29], D. ambrosioides [18], O. tenuiflorum [31] and P. carolinensis [23].…”

“…Some studied EOs from Cuban plants showed a CC 50 > 100 µg/mL, including those from: B. graveolens [27], C. linearis [29], O. tenuiflorum [31], P. amboinicus [32], P. auritum [43] and T. lucida [25]. Other EOs, using different in vivo models have demonstrated certain levels of safety, such as the EOs from A. absinthium [21], C. linearis [29], D. ambrosioides [18], O. tenuiflorum [31] and P. carolinensis [23]. On the other hand, in terms of the comparison between EOs and pure components, we note that the EO from P. amboinicus did not cause cytotoxicity at the highest tested concentration, while pure carvacrol, on the other hand, showed some cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, including MRC-5 (CC 50 = 27.9 µg/mL) and peritoneal macrophage from BALB/c mice (CC 50 = 32.3 µg/mL) [32].…”