TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES ON RATANJYOT OIL

Ratanjyot (Jatropha curcas) grows wild in many parts of India and Brazil. Experimental studies on the toxicity of its oil are scarce despite its use as a cathartic purgative, for treatment of many ailments in human medicine and in industrial applications. This study aims to provide data on its toxicity. The proximate composition of the kernels and physicochemical characteristics of its oil were determined. The kernels constitute 62% of the seed and contain 52% oil, which is reported to contain phorbol esters. A toxic fraction (2.4%) containing the phorbol esters was isolated from the oil. The acute oral LD(50) of the oil was found to be 6 ml/kg body weight in rats. The oil caused severe diarrhoea and gastro-intestinal inflammation. The isolated toxic fraction, when applied to the skin of rabbits and rats, produced a severely irritant reaction followed by necrosis; in mice, this fraction had a dermally toxic and lethal effect. The oil and the toxic fraction at 25 and 1 mg respectively in 10 mi saline showed haemolytic activity, disrupting red blood cells. Detoxification or complete removal of the potent toxins present in ratanjyot oil is essential before its use in industrial applications or in human medicine can be considered.