Subchronic toxicity of Acorus gramineus rhizoma in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Acorus gramineus rhizoma (AGR) is the dry rhizome of Acorus gramineus Solander from the family Araceae that has been used as sedative, analgesic, diuretic, digestive and antifungal agent.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) and the toxicity of AGR, following repeated oral administration to rats for 13 weeks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

AGR was administered by oral gavage to groups of rats (10 per group, each sex) at doses of 0 (control), 25, 74, 222, 667, or 2,000mg/kg/day, 5 times per week for 13 weeks. Mortality, clinical signs, body weights, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, urinalysis, vaginal cytology, sperm motility, sperm morphology, organ weights, gross and histopathological findings were compared between control and AGR groups.

RESULTS

No mortality or remarkable clinical signs were observed during this 13-week study. No adverse effects on body weight, food consumption, urinalysis, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weights, gross lesion, histopathology, vaginal cytology, sperm motility or deformity were observed in any of the male or female rats treated with AGR.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of these results, the NOAEL of AGR is determined to be 2,000mg/kg/day for male and female rats.

Metabolite profiling of tissues of Acorus calamus and Acorus tatarinowii rhizomes by using LMD, UHPLC-QTOF MS, and GC-MS

Acorus calamus and its related species are of significant importance to the food and fragrance industries due to their varied applications. They are also a cause of critical concern due to their toxic β-asarone content. Several toxicity cases have occurred due to high β-asarone compositions in food products. Hence, limits for their use are strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the European Union, and legislations of different countries. The identification of species with a lower β-asarone content is of great significance. In this report, the metabolite profiles and essential oil content of A. calamus and Acorus tatarinowii rhizomes were analysed and compared using UHPLC-QTOF-MS and GC-MS techniques. The metabolite profiles were similar; however, β-asarone content was higher in A. calamus rhizomes. The developed methods can be applied for microscopic and macroscopic identification, and quality control of food products containing β-asarone.