Abstract

The genus Piper is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It has many ethnopharmacological uses, such as an antifungal and antiparasitic, but its toxicity has not yet been fully elucidated. In a fixed dose assay 2 g/kg (p.o.), the ethanol extract of aerial parts (stems and leaves) of  Piper aduncum was administered and no signs of toxicity were detected, either during the behavioral observations or in the autopsies, which indicates a reasonable lack of toxicity for the extract. In the comet assay, no significant difference was found between the extract of P. aduncum and negative control. In assessing mutagenicity by the micronucleus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae test, there was no statistically significant difference between the extract and the negative control. From the results obtained, it appears that crude ethanol extract of P. aduncum does not damage DNA and was considered to have low acute toxicity.

Key words: Genotoxicity, mutagenicity, acute toxicity, medicinal plant, Piper aduncum.