Journal of Toxicology最新文献

{"title":"Control of Obesity, Blood Glucose, and Blood Lipid with <i>Olax imbricata</i> Roxb. Root Extract in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.","authors":"Thi Nga Vo,&nbsp;Thi-Diem-My Luong,&nbsp;Thi-Phuong-Hoa Le,&nbsp;Khanh Son Trinh","doi":"10.1155/2022/7781723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7781723","url":null,"abstract":"Mice were used in in vivo experiments to evaluate the effects of doses of n-hexane extract (from 100 to 1,300 mg/kg body weight/day) on the ability to control obesity, blood glucose, and blood lipid. In this study, body weight gain, caloric intake, glucose tolerance, blood lipid, histopathological study, and locomotion activity were examined. Furthermore, this study evaluated the lethality of the extract in extremely high doses in the tested mice. After 3 months of use with an extremely high dose of 5,000 mg/kg body weight/day (equivalent to 350 g/day for a 70 kg person), no animals with abnormal conditions or death were observed. This initially demonstrated the safety of the extract. In addition, after 6 weeks of testing on high-fat diet-induced obese mice, n-hexane extract at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight/day (equivalent to 35 g/day for a 70 kg person) demonstrated a positive effect on the ability to control obesity, blood glucose, and blood lipid through the results of body weight, blood lipids, glucose tolerance, and histopathology (white fat, liver, and kidney tissues). In this study, n-hexane extract from the roots of Duong-dau tree has proven to be strongly biologically active in preventing and supporting the treatment of diseases related to overweight and obesity, helping to control blood glucose levels thereby reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"7781723"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9463018/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33459720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subacute Toxicity Effects of the Aqueous Shoot Extract of <i>Yushania alpina</i> (K. Schum.) W.C.Lin in Sprague Dawley Rats: An Appraisal of Its Safety in Ethnomedicinal Usage.","authors":"Joseph Ngugi Wanjiru,&nbsp;Timothy Elias Maitho,&nbsp;James Mucunu Mbaria,&nbsp;Gervason Apiri Moriasi","doi":"10.1155/2022/6283066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6283066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant-based medicines have effectively managed several ailments in humans and animals since prehistoric times. However, the pharmacologic efficacy and safety of many plants currently used in traditional medicine have not been explored empirically, which raises serious public health concerns, derailing further research and their integration into the conventional healthcare system. Despite the longstanding ethnomedicinal usage of <i>Yushania alpina</i> shoot extract to treat inflammation, microbial infections, and diarrhoea, among other diseases, there is insufficient scientific data to appraise its toxicity profile and safety. Accordingly, we investigated the subacute toxicity of the aqueous shoot extract of <i>Y. alpina</i> in Sprague Dawley rats (both sexes) for 28 days based on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guideline 407. In this study, all the experimental rats treated orally with 40 mg/Kg BW, 200 mg/Kg BW, and 1000 mg/Kg BW of the aqueous shoot extract of <i>Y. alpina</i> remained normal, like the control group rats, and did not show any clinical signs of subacute toxicity, and no morbidity or mortality was recorded. Besides, the weekly body weight gains and the haematological and biochemical parameters of experimental rats orally administered with the studied plant extract at the tested doses and in the control group were comparable (<i>P</i> > 0.05). No pathologic alterations in internal organs were observed following necroscopy. Further, the differences in weights of the liver, kidney, and spleen of experimental rats which were subacutely treated with the studied plant extract and the control rats were insignificant (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Moreover, no histopathological changes were observed in tissue sections of the liver, kidney, and spleen obtained from all the experimental rats. Our findings demonstrate that the aqueous shoot extract of <i>Y. alpina</i> may be safe as it does not elicit subacute toxicity in Sprague Dawley rats. Further toxicological and pharmacological studies using other model animals and in clinical setups are encouraged to fully appraise the efficacy and safety of the studied plant extract.</p>","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"6283066"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9436527/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40350638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Co-Administration of N-Acetylcysteine and Vitamin E on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Ovarian Toxicity in Female Rats.","authors":"Mahdieh Raeeszadeh,&nbsp;Seed Mohammad Saleh Hosseini,&nbsp;Ali Akbar Amiri","doi":"10.1155/2022/9073405","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9073405","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cyclophosphamide is used to treat various types of cancer. However, it can reduce ovarian function and fertility rate. The current study was done to compare the effects of N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E on cyclophosphamide-induced ovarian damage. Thirty-five rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: control (C), cyclophosphamide (CP, 200 mg/kg single dose intraperitoneally), T1 (cyclophosphamide + vitamin E at 200 mg/kg), T2 (cyclophosphamide + 200 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine), and T3 (cyclophosphamide + N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E at 200 mg/kg). The main measurements included total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin 8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-<i>α</i> (TNF<i>α</i>), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estrogen (ES). Except for the C and T3 groups, the other groups lost weight. A significantly lower concentration of MDA was observed in the T3 group. However, TAC was substantially increased compared to the other groups. The level of GPx in the S group was significantly reduced compared to all groups. Proinflammatory markers (IL-8 and TNF<i>α</i>) reached their lowest serum level in the T3 group, with a statistically significant difference compared to that of the S group. In addition, there were no significant differences in the means of primary, secondary, and graph and atretic follicles between the T3 and C group. On the other hand, a decrease in FSH and LH was observed while an increase in ES was seen in the T3 group compared to the S group. This study revealed that N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E coadministration could significantly decrease the side effects of cyclophosphamide, especially in ovarian tissue.</p>","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"9073405"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9427260/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40342208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Susceptibility Evaluation of Fall Armyworm (<i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i>) Infesting Maize in Kenya against a Range of Insecticides.","authors":"Savinda Njeri Gichere,&nbsp;Kakai Shem Khakame,&nbsp;Okoth Patrick","doi":"10.1155/2022/8007998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8007998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fall armyworm, <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J. E. Smith), is a worldwide pest of gramineous crops and a major pest of corn. Kenya has, in the recent years, reported massive outbreaks of this pest causing huge economic losses in maize fields. The indiscriminate use of insecticides has led to the evolution of insecticide resistance. This presents serious challenges to the control of pests including fall armyworm. The fall armyworm infestation has greatly threatened food security in Kenya. Consequently, this has heightened the need to evaluate the susceptibility of the fall armyworm to commonly used insecticides in Kenya. In this study, thirteen populations of the fall armyworm were sampled from thirteen counties of Kenya and determined its susceptibility to a range of insecticides using leaf-dip bioassay method. The current study illustrated the high toxicity of spinetoram, spinosad, lufenuron, and pyridaben to fall armyworm while indoxacarb, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, imidacloprid, and abamectin exhibited relatively low toxicity to fall armyworm. Possible cross-resistance between abamectin, imidacloprid, deltamethrin, indoxacarb, spinosad, spinetoram, and lufenuron was determined through pair-wise correlational analyses. Results of this study revealed no cross-resistance between lambda-cyhalothrin with all other insecticides tested. Susceptibility monitoring of the fall armyworm can be a valuable strategy in the control of fall armyworm in the field populations. This can help inform the policy to design management strategies that promote the judicious use of these chemicals and prolong their efficacy in the management of the fall armyworm in Kenya.</p>","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"8007998"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9377907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40421927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subchronic Toxicity Study of Alternanthera philoxeroides in Swiss Albino Mice Having Antioxidant and Anticoagulant Activities.","authors":"Shahad Saif Khandker,&nbsp;Morshed Alam,&nbsp;Forhad Uddin,&nbsp;Ummay Mahfuza Shapla,&nbsp;Nafisa Lubna,&nbsp;Tanusree Amy Mazumder,&nbsp;Mahfuza Marzan,&nbsp;Milon Mondal,&nbsp;Md Ibrahim Khalil,&nbsp;Nurul Karim,&nbsp;Md Salman Shakil,&nbsp;Md Sakib Hossen","doi":"10.1155/2022/8152820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8152820","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Alternanthera philoxeroides</i>, a tropical herb and edible vegetable, has been popular as a medicinal plant. Applying <i>in vitro</i> approach, we initially attempted to assess the phytochemicals, bioactive chemicals, as well as antioxidant and anticoagulant activities of this plant. Following that, the <i>in vivo</i> toxicological effects of methanolic extracts of <i>A. philoxeroides</i> using different doses on the kidney, heart, lung, liver, stomach, brain, and blood of female Swiss Albino mice were investigated. We estimated phytochemicals content as well as antioxidant activity through DPPH, NO, CUPRAC, and reducing power assays, followed by the anticoagulant activities of PT  and aPTT  and bioactive compounds using HPLC. To confirm the biocompatibility of <i>A. philoxeroides</i> extracts, histopathological and hematological parameters were examined in a mice model. Total phenol, flavonoid, and tannin content in <i>A. philoxeroides</i> was 181.75 ± 2.47 mg/g, 101.5 ± 3 .53 mg/g, and 68.58 ± 0.80 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the HPLC study confirmed the presence of four phenolic compounds: catechin, tannic acid, gallic acid, and vanillic acid. The methanolic extract of <i>A. philoxeroides</i> showed considerable antioxidant activity in all four antioxidant assay methods when compared to the standard. In comparison to ascorbic acid, <i>A. philoxeroides</i> also demonstrated a minor concentration-dependent ferric and cupric reduction activity. <i>In vivo</i> evaluation indicated that <i>A. philoxeroides</i> extracts (doses: 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) had no negative effects on the relative organ or body weight, or hematological indicators. Our study concluded that <i>A. philoxeroides</i> had significant antioxidant and anticoagulant activities and demonstrated no negative effects on the body or relative organ weight, histopathological, and hematological indices in the mouse model.</p>","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"8152820"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9300360/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40536616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toxicological Assessments of a Proprietary Blend of Punica granatum Fruit Rind and Theobroma cacao Seed Extracts: Acute, Subchronic, and Genetic Toxicity Studies","authors":"Ravi Kumar Madireddy, K. V. Alluri, Venkateswarlu Somepalli, T. Golakoti, K. Sengupta","doi":"10.1155/2022/3903943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3903943","url":null,"abstract":"LN18178 (Tesnor®) is a standardized, proprietary composition of aqueous ethanol extracts of Punica granatum fruit rind and Theobroma cacao seeds. The present study demonstrates a broad-spectrum toxicological evaluation of LN18178 utilizing in vitro and in vivo preclinical models following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for testing chemicals. Wistar rats did not show any clinical signs of toxicity and morbidity in acute oral and dermal toxicity tests with the median lethal dose (LD50) values of at least 5000 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg body weight, respectively. LN18178 was nonirritating to the skin and eyes of the treated rabbits. In a ninety-day subchronic repeated oral dose toxicity study, the LN18178-treated Wistar rats did not show dose-related signs of toxicity on their body weight, food consumption, organ weights, hematology, and clinical chemistry parameters. The estimated no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of LN18178 in male and female rats was 2500 mg/kg body weight. The observations from the bacterial reverse mutation test, in vitro chromosomal aberration assay, micronucleus assay in mouse bone marrow erythrocytes, and in vitro mouse lymphoma TK+/− gene mutation assay suggest that LN18178 is neither mutagenic nor clastogenic. In summary, the present study demonstrates that oral consumption of the herbal blend LN18178 does not show signs of toxicity; also it does not elicit genetic toxicity in the standard preclinical models.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41950513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Iron Chelators in Treatment of Iron Overload","authors":"Sarina Entezari, Seyedeh Mona Haghi, Narges Norouzkhani, Barsa Sahebnazar, Fatemeh Vosoughian, Diba Akbarzadeh, Muhammad Islampanah, Navid Naghsh, Mohammad Abbasalizadeh, N. Deravi","doi":"10.1155/2022/4911205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4911205","url":null,"abstract":"Patients suffering from iron overload can experience serious complications. In such patients, various organs, such as endocrine glands and liver, can be damaged. Although iron is a crucial element for life, iron overload can be potentially toxic for human cells due to its role in generating free radicals. In the past few decades, there has been a major improvement in the survival of patients who suffer from iron overload due to the application of iron chelation therapy in clinical practice. In clinical use, deferoxamine, deferiprone, and deferasirox are the three United States Food and Drug Administration-approved iron chelators. Each of these iron chelators is well known for the treatment of iron overload in various clinical conditions. Based on several up-to-date studies, this study explained iron overload and its clinical symptoms, introduced each of the above-mentioned iron chelators, and evaluated their advantages and disadvantages with an emphasis on combination therapy, which in recent studies seems a promising approach. In numerous clinical conditions, due to the lack of accurate indicators, choosing a standard approach for iron chelation therapy can be difficult; therefore, further studies on the issue are still required. This study aimed to introduce each of these iron chelators, combination therapy, usage doses, specific clinical applications, and their advantages, toxicity, and side effects.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42563844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of Cyanotoxicity Studies Based on Cell Cultures","authors":"Iliyana Sazdova, M. Keremidarska-Markova, M. Chichova, Blagoy A. Uzunov, G. Nikolaev, M. Mladenov, R. Schubert, Maya P. Stoyneva-Gärtner, H. Gagov","doi":"10.1155/2022/5647178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5647178","url":null,"abstract":"Cyanotoxins (CTs) are a large and diverse group of toxins produced by the peculiar photosynthetic prokaryotes of the domain Cyanoprokaryota. Toxin-producing aquatic cyanoprokaryotes can develop in mass, causing “water blooms” or “cyanoblooms,” which may lead to environmental disaster—water poisoning, extinction of aquatic life, and even to human death. CT studies on single cells and cells in culture are an important stage of toxicological studies with increasing impact for their further use for scientific and clinical purposes, and for policies of environmental protection. The higher cost of animal use and continuous resistance to the use of animals for scientific and toxicological studies lead to a progressive increase of cell lines use. This review aims to present (1) the important results of the effects of CT on human and animal cell lines, (2) the methods and concentrations used to obtain these results, (3) the studied cell lines and their tissues of origin, and (4) the intracellular targets of CT. CTs reviewed are presented in alphabetical order as follows: aeruginosins, anatoxins, BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine), cylindrospermopsins, depsipeptides, lipopolysaccharides, lyngbyatoxins, microcystins, nodularins, cyanobacterial retinoids, and saxitoxins. The presence of all these data in a review allows in one look to advance the research on CT using cell cultures by facilitating the selection of the most appropriate methods, conditions, and cell lines for future toxicological, pharmacological, and physiological studies.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":"2022 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64781962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nephroprotective Effect of Asparagus africanus Lam. Root Extract against Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Swiss Albino Mice","authors":"Welela Meka Kedir, Abebe Dukassa Dubiwak, Ebsa Tofik Ahmed","doi":"10.1155/2022/8440019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8440019","url":null,"abstract":"The kidney is the organ most vulnerable to nephrotoxic drugs such as gentamicin. Nephrotoxicity is a rapid deterioration of kidney function due to various factors. Gentamicin causes nephrotoxicity, which was manifested by an increase in serum kidney biomarkers. Asparagus africanus is one of the ethnomedicinal plants used as traditional medicine for treating various ailments, including kidney disease in Ethiopian society. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of A. africanus root extract on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. Using maceration techniques, 100 g of dried plant powder was extracted in 1 L of ethanol. The physicochemical screening of plant extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and steroids. The nephroprotective activity of A. africanus crude extract was evaluated on male Swiss albino mice. The crude ethanolic extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses showed strong nephroprotective effects by restoring biomarkers such as creatinine, uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen, which were damaged by gentamicin (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. The mice treated with higher doses (400 mg/kg) had a comparable nephroprotective effect compared to the positive control group (200 mg/kg silymarin; p > 0.05). The histopathology of the control group showed normal glomeruli, normal parenchyma, distal convoluted, and no tubular damage. The toxicant-induced group showed damage to glomeruli and inflammatory infiltration. Therefore, A. africanus root extract has a nephroprotective activity by retarding the gentamicin toxicity in male Swiss albino mice.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":"2022 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41402190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Developmental Toxicity of Thymus schimperi Essential Oil in Rat Embryos and Fetuses","authors":"Fentahun Adane, K. Asres, W. Ergete, Samuel Woldekidan, G. Seyoum","doi":"10.1155/2022/4091839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4091839","url":null,"abstract":"Background In Ethiopian traditional medicine, the aerial parts of Thymus schimperi are widely used to treat diseases such as gonorrhea, cough, liver disease, kidney disease, hypertension, stomach pain, and fungal skin infections. In addition, they have been used as vegetables to flavor a broad variety of food products. However, there is an insufficient investigation of the toxic effect of Thymus schimperi essential oil. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the developmental toxicity of the essential oil of Thymus schimperi leaves on developing rat embryos and fetuses. Methods Essential oil of the aerial parts of Thymus schimperi was extracted by hydrodistillation. Pregnant Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into five groups. The doses 65 mg/kg, 130 mg/kg, and 260 mg/kg of the essential of Thymus schimperi were administered by force feeding to the III–V groups, respectively. Groups I and II were negative and ad libitum control groups. The embryos and fetuses were revealed on days 12 and 20 of gestations, respectively. The embryos were examined for developmental delays or growth retardation. Gross external, skeletal, and visceral anomalies in the fetuses were examined. Results In this study, the developmental scores of the number of implantation sites, crown-rump length, the number of somites, and morphological scores were significantly lower while the score of fetal resorptions was increased in a 12-day-old rat embryos treated with 260 mg/kg of the Thymus schimperi essential oil. There was also a significant delay in the development of the otic system, olfactory system, and a reduction in the number of branchial bars in 12-day-old embryos treated with 130 mg/kg and 260 mg/kg of the essential oil. However, external morphological examinations of rat fetuses revealed no detectable structural abnormalities. The fetal skull, vertebrae, hyoid, forelimb, and hindlimb ossification centers did not differ significantly across all the groups. Furthermore, there were no skeletal or soft-tissue malformations as a result of the essential oil treatment. Although the difference was not statistically significant, fetuses of the high-dose treatment group had a reduced number of ossification centers in the caudal vertebrae and hind limp phalanges. Conclusion The essential oil of Thymus schimperi at high doses has a detrimental effect on the development of rat embryos and fetuses. Its developmental toxicity is evidenced by significant delays in fetal and embryonic development, a decrease in the number of implantation sites, and an increase in fetal resorption. Furthermore, administration of the essential oil in higher doses resulted in a significant decrease in placenta weight and litter weight. In addition, the present study provided evidence that using the Thymus schimperi essential oil in a high dose could affect the developing embryo and fetus. Thus, it is recommended to discourage the use of Thymus schimperi essential oil in high doses.","PeriodicalId":17421,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2022-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44432586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}