Mutagenicity and safety evaluation of water extract of Coriander sativum leaves.

Coriander has been used as a spice and medicinal plant for centuries. Several studies have described its biological properties and some reports have indicated its pharmacological actions in some human pathology. However, data on its toxicity and metabolism are limited or null, and no research has been conducted with mammalian cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mutagenicity and safety of Coriandrum sativum extract. The mutagenic effects of C. sativum extract were evaluated by Ames test. Mutagenicity was present when the C. sativum extract was used in high concentrations in both tested strains (Salmonella typhimurium TA97 and TA102). Our research showed that C. sativum extract reduced the cell survival of human cell lines (WRL-68 and 293Q cells) by inducing apoptosis and necrosis in the cases where extract concentration was the highest. The C. sativum extract altered the cell cycle; it increased the G1 phase of hepatic cells and reduced the G2+M phase in both cell lines in a dose-response manner. These results showed correlation with a reduction in the mitotic index. The extract also induced severe malformations during embryonic development. Exposure of chicken embryos to the C. sativum extract resulted in a dose-dependent increase of anomalies. Present results show that C. sativum extract reduced the axial skeleton and affected the neural tube, the somites, the cardiovascular structures, and the eye. According to the present results, the C. sativum aqueous extract cannot be considered safe. These results indicate that some significant adverse effects of C. sativum extract could be observed in vivo.