(E)-Ferulic acid methyl ester (Methyl (E)-ferulate) is a potential inhibitor of the mitogen-activated phosphor kinase pathway and an anti-inflammatory agent first isolated from the medicinal plant S. tuberosa. Additionally, it shows promising anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of Methyl ferulate (MF), methyl p-coumarate (MpC), and pulegone 1,2-epoxide (PE) with in vitro and in vivo assays. METHODS AND RESULTS:The in vitro toxicity of Methyl ferulate, MpC, and PE was assessed at a concentration of 10 mg/ml with the Ames assay using two strains of Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. Human red blood cells (RBC) were used to determine the hemolytic activity of these compounds. PE produced 6-8% hemolysis of RBCs at all the tested concentrations while Methyl ferulate and MpC produced 10-5% hemolysis up to 20 mg/ml, and 50-85% hemolysis at concentrations of 40 and 80 mg/ml, respectively. The Ames assay indicated that Methyl ferulate, MpC, and PE were non-mutagenic as the test values were not significantly higher as compared with background values of the assay. BSLB suggested the lethal concentration (LC50) values of Methyl ferulate, MpC, and PE as 4.38, 6.74, and 25.91 mg/ml, respectively. In vivo ocular and dermal irritation scores of Methyl ferulate, MpC, and PE were comparable with ethanol (control) in rabbits indicating the non-irritant nature of these natural compounds. CONCLUSIONS:The present studies suggest that these compounds are non-toxic/non-irritant and might be used for medicinal purposes.