Evaluation of Acute Dermal Toxicity of Cymbopogon martinii Leaves Essential Oil in Swiss Albino Mice.

Cymbopogon martinii belonging to the family Poaceae is an important medicinal plant. C. martinii possessed specific rose fragrance showed the presence of rich aromatic substances. For present investigations, plant materials were collected from the Udaipur region, Rajasthan, India. The volatile oil was obtained through the hydrodistillation method using Clevenger's apparatus. Due to the potential antidermatophytic activities of essential oil, C. martinii was evaluated for possible dermal toxicity effects on Swiss albino mice. Six concentrations were prepared and applied tropically on selected healthy mice. No irritation activity was observed up to 5 % concentration of essential oil. Seven percent concentration shows mild toxicity on the superficial application of oil. PDII score of 5 % concentration of oil was found to be 0.5 and at 7 % PDII score was recorded 1.4. Therefore, 5 % concentration was placed on the negligible irritant category and 7 % on the mild irritant category. All experimental mice exhibited signs of good health and well-being throughout the study. Therefore, the present study concluded that the volatile oil of C. martinii can be used for the treatment of fungal infection of human beings and can also apply as an insect repellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]