Artemisia capillaris (AC) has been used as an alternative therapy in obesity, atopic dermatitis, and liver diseases through several biological activity including anti-steatotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Despite its ethnomedicinal benefits, no sufficient background information is available about the long-term safety and genotoxicity of the AC extract. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the 13-week subchronic toxicity and genotoxicity of the AC extract according to the test guidelines published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the 13-week toxicity study using doses of 25, 74, 222, 667, and 2000 mg/kg body weight, oral administration of the AC extract in male and female rats did not result in any significant adverse effects in food/water consumption, body weight, mortality, hematology, serum biochemistry, organ weight and histopathology. Accordingly, the no-observed-adverse-effect level in rats of both genders was established for the AC extract at 2000 mg/kg/day, the highest dose level tested. In addition, the AC extract was not genotoxic in a battery of tests including Ames test, in vitro chromosome aberration assay and in vivo micronucleus assay. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the AC extract is considered as a safe traditional medicine for human consumption.
Keywords: Artemisia capillaris; Genotoxicity; Subchronic; Toxicity; Traditional medicine.
Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.