Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr 12;10(3):480-9.
doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v10i3.15. eCollection 2013.

Irritantcy potential and sub acute dermal toxicity study of Pistacia lentiscus fatty oil as a topical traditional remedy

Zouhir Djerrou  1 , Hdria Djaalab, Foulla Riachi, Mennouba Serakta, Aziez Chettoum, Zineb Maameri, Badaoui Boutobza, Youcef Hamdi-Pacha
Affiliations

Irritantcy potential and sub acute dermal toxicity study of Pistacia lentiscus fatty oil as a topical traditional remedy

Zouhir Djerrou et al. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. .

Abstract

The current study was undertaken to assess safety of Pistacia lentiscus fruits fatty oil (PLFO) as a topical traditional remedy. A primary skin and eye irritation tests were conducted with New Zealand white rabbits to determine the potential for PLFO to produce irritation from a single application. In addition, a sub acute dermal toxicity study was performed on 18 NZW rabbits to evaluate possible adverse effect following application of PLFO for 28 days. Based on the results of the current study, PLFO is classified as slightly irritating to the skin and the eye of rabbits (Primary Irritation Index (P.I.I.) = 1.037; Ocular Irritation Index (O.I.I.) = 5.33 at 1 h). In the sub-acute toxicity test, PLFO produced neither mortality nor significant differences in the body and organ weights between control group and treated rabbits. However, a reversible irritant contact dermatitis was observed in the treated areas from the end of the second week of application until the end of experiment. This local phenomenon was accompanied by a significant skin thickening (P≤0.01) since the 12(th) day (ANOVA, F = 11, 07143, P = 0, 00765) which is confirmed with an inflammatory granuloma in histological study. Haematological analysis and blood chemistry values of the 2 groups showed no significant differences in any of the parameters examined. In summary, PLFO is minimally irritating to the eye and skin after a single exposure, but it may cause irritant contact dermatitis and a reversible thickening of skin after prolonged use.

Keywords: Pistacia lentiscus; dermatitis; eye; fatty oil; irritation; skin; toxicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Histology of a kidney stained with HE in rabbits treated with P. lentiscus fatty oil.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Liver histology stained with HE in rabbits treated with P. lentiscus fatty oil.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Histology of the skin stained with HE in rabbits treated with P. lentiscus fatty oil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al-Habbal MJ, Al-Habbal Z, Huwez FU. A double-blind controlled clinical trial of mastic and placebo in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. J Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1984;11:19–23. - PubMed
    1. Hassan Amhamdi, Aouinti Fatima, Wathelet Jean Paul, Elbachiri Ali. Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Eastern Morocco. Rec Nat Prod. 2009;3(2):90–95.
    1. Barra A, Coroneo V, Dessi S, Cabras P, Angioni A. Characterization of the volatile constituents in the essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from different origins and its antifungal and antioxidant activity. J Agric Food Chem. 2007;55:7093–7098. - PubMed
    1. Benhammou N, Atik Bekkara F, Panovska TK. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the Pistacia lentiscus and atlantica extracts. Afr J Pharm Pharm. 2008;2(2):22–28.
    1. Bentley RY, Trimen H. Medicinal plants. In: Gardeli, et al., editors. Essential oil composition of Pistacia lentiscus L and Myrtus communis L: Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts. Food Chem; 1980. pp. 1–11.

LinkOut - more resources