An In Vivo Toxicological Study Upon Shallomin, the Active Antimicrobial Constitute of Persian Shallot (Allium hirtifolium, Boiss) Extract

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that shallomin, one of the active constituents of Persian shallot, has a broad range of antimicrobial properties. OBJECTIVES: The safety of shallomin must be established before it can be used in clinical applications. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the acute toxic effects of shallomin and to estimate its lethal dose low (LDLo) value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two series of experiments were performed: In the first series, we used functional testing to assess the acute toxic effects of shallomin on the blood, liver, and kidney and examined histopathological changes in the liver, kidney, lung, and heart, following 7 days of daily intraperitoneal administration of 3 standard doses (10, 20, and 30 µg/g body weight of mice). In the second series, the LDLo value was estimated by determining daily mortality in mice after 7-day administration of escalating doses of shallomin (10 to 240 µg/g body weight of mice). RESULTS: The results showed that shallomin (at the anticipated in vivo doses), unlike the placebo (ethanol), did not produce any adverse effects on the tested organs. The LDLo value was observed to be 160 µg/g body weight; this value is 8- to 32-times the anticipated in vivo dose that produces antimicrobial effects under in vitro conditions against various pathogenic organisms. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the results of the present study show that shallomin is a relatively safe agent, although its use needs to be carefully monitored. Further in vivo chronic toxicity tests need to be performed to establish the therapeutic potential of shallomin as an antimicrobial agent.