As botanicals and dietary supplements are used increasingly in many countries, the issue of safety is particularly critical for regulation of food products containing these substances. Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) has been used for centuries as a medicine and nutritional supplement in Asia and Europe. However, data regarding to the safety assessment of the plant and its extracts is still rare. This study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of seabuckthorn berry (SB) oil conducted in three genotoxicity studies and a teratogenicity study. Results of the genotoxicity studies indicated that SB oil has no genotoxicity under the experimental conditions of this study. Specifically, SB oil did not display any mutagenic activity on histidine dependent strains of Salmonella typhimurium under exposure concentrations of 8, 40, 200, 1000, and 5000 μg/plate; SB oil did not have significant effect on sperm morphology and have no influence on micronucleus rate of polychromatic erythrocytes in mice at doses of 9.36, 4.68, and 2.34 g/kg body weight. In the teratogenicity study, pregnant rats were treated with 4.68, 2.34, and 1.17 g/kg SB oil from gestation day 7 to 16 and no treatment-related maternal toxicity or embryo toxicity was observed. Taken together, these results support the safe use of seabuckthorn berry oil for potential dietary consumption in food or as a dietary supplement.
Keywords: Hippophae rhamnoides; genotoxicity; safety; seabuckthorn berry oil; teratogenicity.