Aqueous extracts of unripe fruits of Melia azedarach L. var. azedarach: Investigation of cyanide presence and toxicological evaluation

Abstract

Melia azedarach L., chinaberry, has been studied for its insecticidal and medicinal action. Moreover, it is a species which is known for its capacity of producing cyanogenic composts and for the presence of saponines and polar compounds in unripe fruits, that could be toxic in domestic animals and human individuals. The goal of this work was to determine the presence of cyanide in unripe fruits of M. azedarach var. azedarach, a species adapted to the central region of Rio Grande do Sul state, and to carry out a toxicological evaluation, in rats, of aqueous extracts of these plant structures. Unripe fruits were harvested in March 2005, in the area of the Federal University of Santa Maria. The presence of cyanide was evaluated through voltammetric measurements and the toxicity was analyzed through the evaluation of mortality, behavioral changes, and the hepatic and renal functions of Wistar rats. The extracts were administered by oral and intraperitoneal route, at doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0% (w/v, 1mL/kg). It was concluded that unripe fruits of chinaberry did not present cyanide in their composition and that the aqueous extracts, in the analyzed doses, did not cause symptoms of toxicity in rats.

Keywords

• toxicity
• botanical insecticides
• Meliaceae