Ninety-day toxicity and genotoxic effects of synthetically derived fully saturated forms of anacardic acid in mice

Organically synthesized fully saturated form of Anacardic acid (AA) has previously shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory autoimmune disease. In this study, organically synthesized fully saturated form of AA was orally administered to male and female Swiss albino mice for 90 consecutive days at doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg BW (n = 20 per sex/group). Administration of AA was well tolerated at all dose levels. The treated animals did not show a dose-response toxicity in their hematology, liver, or metabolic profile. Minimally significant changes in serum biochemistry and hematology parameters were noted, but these were not considered to be of biological or toxicological importance and were not outside the known accepted ranges. Sporadic differences in organ weights were observed between groups, but all were minimal (<10%) and unlikely to indicate toxicity. The incidence of histopathological lesions was comparable between treated and control groups across all tested organs. Based upon these findings, the no-observed-adverse-effect level was determined to be ≥ 100 mg/kg BW, which was the highest dose tested. There were no genotoxic (mutagenic and clastogenic) effects seen in In-vivo micronucleus test, In-vitro chromosomal aberration test and Bacterial reverse mutation test. These results support, no genotoxicity and no toxicity associated with oral consumption of AA in mice as a dietary supplement for beverages and food.

Effect of 6-nonadecyl salicylic acid and its methyl ester on the induction of micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes in mouse peripheral blood

The bark of Amphipterygium adstringens is widely used in the traditional Mexican medicine for treating ailments such as gastric ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer. The 6-nonadecyl salicylic acid (anacardic acid) was isolated from the bark of this species. In previous papers have been informed that the anacardic acids possess anti-tumour, antimicrobial, antiacne, antibacterial and many others medicinal properties. Now we describe cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of this compound and its methyl ester. The cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of 6-nonadecyl salicylic acid (6NDSA) and its methyl ester (ME6NDSA) on CD1 male mice were determined with micronucleus assay at 24, 48 and 72h after oral administration of doses of 0.75, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0mg/kg. Peripheral blood samples were drawn from the caudal vein and analyzed by Giemsa-stained technique. The results obtained showed that the ratios of polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) to normochromatic erythrocytes (NCE) in mice treated with 10mg/kg of 6NDSA were statistically lower after 24h compared with its negative control animals, and that after 72h, PCE/NCE ratios were reduced in animals treated with 6NDSA at all tested dose levels. The methyl ester ME6NDSA showed no such cytotoxic activity. Neither of the test compounds increased the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes from which it appears that administration of 6NDSA and ME6NDSA may not lead to chromosome damage at the evaluated doses.

The transcriptional coactivator p300 plays a critical role in the hypertrophic and protective pathways induced by phenylephrine in cardiac cells but is specific to the hypertrophic effect of urocortin

Anacardic acid is an alkylsalicylic acid obtained from cashew-nut-shell liquid, and is a potent inhibitor of p300 histone acetyl-transferase (HAT) activity. We have used anacardic acid to prevent the induction of hypertrophy in isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Hypertrophy was detected as an increase in cell size, the rearrangement of sarcomeres into a striated pattern, and the induction of embryonic genes beta-MHC and ANF. p300 inhibition was equally effective at preventing hypertrophy whether it was induced by treatment with the alpha1-adrenergic agonist, phenylephrine, or by treatment with urocortin, a member of the corticotrophin-releasing-factor family, which stimulates specific G protein-coupled receptors. Spiruchostatin A is a natural-product inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDAC) similar to the depsipeptide FK228 molecule. We have recently synthesized spiruchostatin A and now show that, although HDACs act in opposition to HATs, spiruchostatin A has the same effect as anacardic acid, that is, it prevents the induction of hypertrophy in response to phenylephrine or urocortin. Pretreatment with either phenylephrine or urocortin reduced the extent of death observed after the exposure of isolated cardiomyocytes to simulated ischaemia and reoxygenation. Inhibition of p300 or HDAC activity eliminated the protection conferred by phenylephrine; however, it did not affect the protection conferred by urocortin. Therefore, it might eventually be possible to use chemical inhibitors such as these in a therapeutic setting to dissociate the protective effect and hypertrophic effect of urocortin, enhancing the survival of cardiomyocytes exposed to transient ischemia, while inhibiting the hypertrophic pathway that would otherwise be induced concurrently.