Research study on the assessment of the antitoxic action of various phytopreparates derived from the vegetal products of Levisticum officinale

Abstract

The thermal processing of food leads to the formation of certain toxins that are included on the list of the 1st group human carcinogens. Among them we can also mention acrylamide, a substance with two unsaturation centres and high toxicity level manifested by embryotoxicity, neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. The experiment included in this study is part of a wider series of experiments that are conducted in parallel: finding the ways of shunting (avoiding or diminishing) the formation of acrylamide and the identification of new ways for phyto-chemoprevention in the case of acrylamide intoxication. The present experiment was intended to test the antitoxic effect of the phthalides form different lovage phytopreparates, being known that acrylamide manifests its toxicity as the free radical of the major metabolite, glycidamide. The experimental model relies on the use of four groups of white Wistar rats, which after a subacute intoxication with acrylamide are treated with Levistici aetheroleum, Levistici semen (infusion 5%) and Levistici herba (infusion 5%). The results of the biochemical test battery performed at the end of the experiment (hepatic cytolysis and proteosynthesis indicators) underline the high antitoxic potential of the lovage volatile oil.