Acute toxicity and genotoxicity assays of phytotherapics from Fabiana punensis

Abstract

The inhabitants of Argentina Puna use many of the shrubs that grow in the region for alleviating oxidative stress generated by the altitude, or even anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial for the treatment of skin infections. Previous studies showed that extracts of F. punensis have antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria and yeast, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of decoction and maceration of F. punensis to ensure the safe use. Maceration and decoction were standardized based on its content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Toxicity was determined using the acute toxicity test of Artemia salina and genotoxicity tests with two strains of Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 with and without metabolic activation. Mutagens were used as positive control. The extracts showed no acute toxicity. None of the extracts showed toxicity and genotoxicity on TA98 and TA100 strains until 1000 ug GAE / plate in the presence and absence of exogenous metabolic activation. Conclusions: Within the ethnopharmacological context, our results justify the popular use of extracts of F. punensis as a natural product without genotoxic effects.