Effects of essential oil components exposure on biological parameters of Caenorhabditis elegans

[EN] The extensive use of essential oil components in an increasing number of applications can substantially enhance exposure to these compounds, which leads to potential health and environmental hazards. This work aimed to evaluate the toxicity of four widely used essential oil components (carvacro...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Fuentes López, Cristina|||0000-0002-0589-6550, Verdú-Amat, Samuel|||0000-0002-3910-4582, Fuentes López, Ana|||0000-0002-4144-2396, Barat Baviera, José Manuel|||0000-0001-8487-7114, M.J.Ruiz
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/195295
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/195295
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Nematode
Toxicity
Carvacrol
Thymol
Eugenol
Vanillin
TECNOLOGIA DE ALIMENTOS
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The extensive use of essential oil components in an increasing number of applications can substantially enhance exposure to these compounds, which leads to potential health and environmental hazards. This work aimed to evaluate the toxicity of four widely used essential oil components (carvacrol, eugenol, thymol, vanillin) using the in vivo model Caenorhabditis elegans. For this purpose, the LC50 value of acute exposure to these components was first established; then the effect of sublethal concentrations on nematodes' locomotion behaviour, reproduction, heat and oxidative stress resistance and chemotaxis was evaluated. The results showed that all the components had a concentration-dependent effect on nematode survival at moderate to high concentrations. Carvacrol and thymol were the two most toxic compounds, while vanillin had the mildest toxicological effect. Reproduction resulted in a more sensitive endpoint than lethality to evaluate toxicity. Only pre-exposure to carvacrol and eugenol at the highest tested sublethal concentrations conferred worms oxidative stress resistance. However, at these and lower concentrations, both components induced reproductive toxicity. Our results evidence that these compounds can be toxic at lower doses than those required for their biological action. These findings highlight the need for a specific toxicological assessment of every EOC application.