EFSA Compendium of Botanicals

Draft - work in progress

Lemon grass (as plant) // Andropogon citratus DC. // Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf

Family:: Poaceae
Approval state:: Approved
Number of articles retrieved:: 2355
Number of processed references:: 3

Compositions

#1: Myrcene

Endpoint Studies

#1: lethal concentration (LC50) of hydroalcoholic tincture in mice #2: NOAEL of essential oil = 71.4 mg/kg/day in rat

Genotoxicity

#1: Mutagenic effect positive.

Composition #1: Fandohan, P., Gnonlonfin, B., Laleye, A., Gbenou, J. D., Darbouxc, R., Moudachirou, M. Toxicity and gastric tolerance of essential oils from Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum gratissimum and Ocimum basilicum in Wistar rats . food and chemical toxicology, 2008, vol. 46, no. 7, p. 2493–2497. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2008.04.006. [DOI link]

Language:

English (en)
Plant part:

Live plants (as part-nature) (A0BA0)
Extraction/Preparation method:

Essential oil (as part-nature) (A166Q)
Additional extraction description:

Steam distillation
Substance:

myrcene (RF-00003503-PAR)
Additional substance description:

% myrcene in essential oil
Analytical method code:

GC-MS (F046A)
Result unit:

Percent (G138A)
Result type:

Numerical Value (VAL)
Value (concentration, content):

20
Internal remarks:

Myrcene

Endpoint study #1: Logarto Parra, A., Silva Yhebra, R., Guerra Sardinas, I., Iglesias Buela, L. Comparative study of the assay of Artemia salina L. and the estimate of the medium lethal dose (LD50 value) in mice, to determine oral acute toxicity of plant extracts. . phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 2001, vol. 8, no. 5, p. 395–400. .

Study relevance:

Human health
Plant part:

Leaves (as part-nature) (A0EKT)
Preparation/Extraction method:

Solvent extraction (A0BZR)
Additional plant/substance description:

Foliage extracted in hydroalcoholic tincture (water: alcohol ratio 1:6), The tincture was used in toxicity tests.
Type of toxicological test:

acute toxicity (CHD016TT)
Limit test:

Yes
Tested organism:

House mouse (as animal) (A0CNT)
Sex:

No data
Exposure duration:

24.0
Unit of exposure duration:

Hour (G099A)
Endpoint measured:

Concentration producing lethality in 50% of experimental organisms (CHD023EP)
Concentration unit:

Microgram/millilitre (G052A)
Effect concentration:

476.94
Critical effect:

Other toxicities (TOX19A)
Effect description:

LD50 values obtained following the “in vivo” test in mice 24 hours after oral administration
Effect or parameter linked to the endpoint:

mortality (CHD010BE)
Internal remarks:

lethal concentration (LC50) of hydroalcoholic tincture in mice

Endpoint study #2: Fandohan, P., Gnonlonfin, B., Laleye, A., Gbenou, J. D., Darbouxc, R., Moudachirou, M. Toxicity and gastric tolerance of essential oils from Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum gratissimum and Ocimum basilicum in Wistar rats . food and chemical toxicology, 2008, vol. 46, no. 7, p. 2493–2497. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2008.04.006. [DOI link]

Study relevance:

Human health
Preparation/Extraction method:

Essential oil (as part-nature) (A166Q)
Type of toxicological test:

short-term toxicity (CHD017TT)
Tested organism:

Rat (as animal) (A0CNV)
Strain of test organism:

Wistar (CHD013ST)
Sex:

Male/Female
Exposure duration:

14.0
Unit of exposure duration:

Day (G134A)
Number of organisms dosed:

42
Control groups used:

yes
Endpoint measured:

Dose producing lethality in 50% of experimental organisms (CHD024EP)
Concentration unit:

Milligram/kilogram (G061A)
Effect concentration:

2000-3000
Critical effect:

Digestive (TOX18A)
Target tissue:

digestive: Stomach (TT027A)
Effect description:

Rats survived 1500 mg/kg bw of C. citratus oil for 14 days- no histological changes in the stomach, but died 2nd day at 2000 and 3000 mg/kg bw with infiltration of inflammatory cells in stomach wall, hepatocytes necrosis, granuloma. NOAEL = 71.4 mg/kg/day
Effect or parameter linked to the endpoint:

mortality (CHD010BE)
Internal remarks:

NOAEL of essential oil = 71.4 mg/kg/day in rat

Genotox #1: RIVERA, IG., MARTINS, MT., SANCHEZ, PS., SATO, MIZ., COELHO, MCL., AKISUE, M., AKISUE, G. GENOTOXICITY ASSESSMENT THROUGH THE AMES TEST OF MEDICINAL-PLANTS COMMONLY USED IN BRAZIL . environmental toxicology and water quality, 1994, vol. 9, no. 2, p. 87–93. DOI: 10.1002/tox.2530090203. [DOI link]

Study category:

Mutagenicity
Type of toxicological test:

bacterial gene mutation assay (CHD027TT)
Method type:

in vitro
Guideline used:

No guideline available
Tested organism:

Salmonella typhimurium (as organism) (A0CPZ)
Sex:

No data
Exogenous metabolic activation applied:

no data
Endpoint measured:

gene mutation
Is genotoxic:

Positive
Remarks on genotox study:

The aqueous extract of C. citratus produced a mutagenic effect when assayed with strain TA 104 without metabolic activation. The strain TA 104 detects basepair substitution mutation in the codon AT of gene his G428.
Internal remarks:

Mutagenic effect positive.
Internal ID:

WOS:A1994NH89300002