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Background: Sunflower seed oil (SSO) effect on solid and ascitic forms of Ehrlich tumor was evaluated. Methods: Solid or ascitic Ehrlich tumor-bearing Swiss mice were treated daily, by subcutaneous route, with 200 µl of SSO. The solid tumor-bearing footpad was measured every 3 days and ascitic tumor-bearing mice had their ascites collected and quantified. At the end of the SSO treatment, the total cell number in lymphoid organs was quantified. Results: Subcutaneous treatment with SSO inhibits the solid tumor growth and increases lymph node cell number in animals with solid tumor, but has no effect on animals with ascitic tumor. Conclusions: SSO can delay the solid tumor growth, possibly due to better absorption of this treatment by draining lymph nodes.

Abstract:The safety of babassu mesocarp (Orbignya phalerata Mart., Arecaceae), which exhibited anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic activities, was evaluated by determining the potential acute toxicity in mice. A lyophilized ethanol extract of babassu mesocarp (BME) was administered to C3H/HePas mice (10/group) in a single dose of 1000, 3000 and 5000 mg/kg, by gavage. General behavior adverse effects and mortality were determined for up to fourteen days. Selected biochemical parameters including glucose, triacylglyceride, cholesterol, urea, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine were determined by colorimetric assay. The heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and brain were weighted and evaluated macro and microscopically. The median lethal dose (LD50) of BME was greater than 5000 mg/ kg. No behavior or body weight alterations were detected after the treatment. The acute treatment with BME has no effect on macroscopic and microscopic aspect of examined organs. Instead, BME increased the alkaline phosphatase and reduced the urea concentration in all groups. A significant increase on triacylglyceride was detected in the group BME1000. In conclusion, the acute treatment with high doses of BME can affect some biochemical parameters with a long lasting effect, although any change was detected at tissue level or body and organ weight.