Toxicity and antibacterial effect of mace of Myristica fragrans used in Moroccan gastronomy: Biochemical and histological impact

The aril of the plant Myristica fragrans is one of the most broadly used spices in Moroccan gastronomy. This research demonstrated its antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species. Likewise, its toxicity was investigated on Swiss albino mice. Mice were treated orally with 0.003 and 0.3 mg/day during 7 days. Plasmatic markers and antioxidant defense systems were assessed and histological alterations evaluated. Our results showed a significant increase in creatine phosphokinase level. The microscopic evaluation showed that mace induces morphological perturbation in mice's liver. The results also showed an inhibitory effect of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and an important increase in the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, succinate dehydrogenase activities and no change in catalase activities. All of these results show that M. fragrans at 0.3 mg/g in mice affects energy metabolism and oxidative stress. © 2008, The Author(s).