<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><italic>Nigella damascena</italic> seed is characterized by the presence of the major alkaloid, damascenine and its related metabolites. To our knowledge, no detailed subchronic toxicological assessment of damascenine (DA) has been reported. The present study evaluated the potential toxicity of DA <italic>in vivo</italic> after sub-chronic intraperitoneal (i.p) administration in mice and <italic>in vitro</italic> following human erythrocyte hemolysis. <italic>In vivo</italic>, a total of 48 adult male and female Swiss albino mice were used in a sub-chronic toxicity study. The mice received intraperitoneally two doses of DA (20 and 100 mg/kg) for 28 days. Food intake, body weight and central body temperature were measured during the experiment. After completion of drug treatment, biochemical and histological analyses were performed. No mortality was observed in any of the treatment groups of mice, showing no toxic effects during the study. Neither were biochemical parameters altered; no significant differences were observed concerning glucose, bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine parameters. No histopathological alterations were found in kidney and liver structures. <italic>In vitro</italic>, we focused on the human erythrocyte hemolytic process in the presence of several concentrations of DA. High level concentration of 1 000 μg/ml of DA revealed normal cell shapes and absence of hemolysis and deformation.</p></abstract>

Nigella damascena seed is characterized by the presence of the major alkaloid, damascenine and its related metabolites. To our knowledge, no detailed subchronic toxicological assessment of damascenine (DA) has been reported. The present study evaluated the potential toxicity of DA in vivo after sub-chronic intraperitoneal (i.p) administration in mice and in vitro following human erythrocyte hemolysis. In vivo, a total of 48 adult male and female Swiss albino mice were used in a sub-chronic toxicity study. The mice received intraperitoneally two doses of DA (20 and 100 mg/kg) for 28 days. Food intake, body weight and central body temperature were measured during the experiment. After completion of drug treatment, biochemical and histological analyses were performed. No mortality was observed in any of the treatment groups of mice, showing no toxic effects during the study. Neither were biochemical parameters altered; no significant differences were observed concerning glucose, bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine parameters. No histopathological alterations were found in kidney and liver structures. In vitro, we focused on the human erythrocyte hemolytic process in the presence of several concentrations of DA. High level concentration of 1 000 μg/ml of DA revealed normal cell shapes and absence of hemolysis and deformation.

Damascenine induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in mice and <italic>in vitro</italic> assessed human erythrocyte toxicity

Laboratoire de Biotechnologies végétales et Ethnobotanique, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria

Interdisciplinary Toxicology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Damascenine induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in mice and  assessed human erythrocyte toxicity

Nigella damascena seed is characterized by the presence of the major alkaloid, damascenine and its related metabolites. To our knowledge, no detailed...

Damascenine induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in mice and in vitro assessed human erythrocyte toxicity

Published Online: Mar 07, 2016

Page range: 118 - 124

Received: Jan 16, 2015

Accepted: Sep 17, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0018

Keywords
Damascenine, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, erythrocyte, mice

© 2015 Interdisciplinary Toxicology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Damascenine induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in mice and in vitro assessed human erythrocyte toxicity

Published Online: Mar 07, 2016

Page range: 118 - 124

Received: Jan 16, 2015

Accepted: Sep 17, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0018

KeywordsDamascenine, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, erythrocyte, mice

© 2015 Interdisciplinary Toxicology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Damascenine, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, erythrocyte, mice