Safety Assessment of Polyphenolic Extracts from Date Palm Spathe as a Valorizable Bioresource

Abstract

The spathe of the date palm Phoenix dactylifera (L.) is a lignocellulosic agricultural by-product that can be exploited as a source of biomass for high value products. However, limited information is available regarding the toxicological safety of its extracts. This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo toxicity of date palm spathe extracts through acute and subacute oral tests in mice to support their potential valorization. In the acute test, female mice were treated with single oral doses of 300 and 2000 mg/kg for 14 days. For the subacute test, daily doses of 50, 300, and 1000 mg/kg were administered to both sexes for 28 days. In both studies, clinical symptoms, mortality, body weight variations, organ weights, biochemical and hematological criteria, and histopathological analyses were examined. No lethality or significant clinical signs were observed at any of the tested doses. Hematological and biochemical parameters showed no significant changes between groups. Histopathological examination of the organs showed similar results in both the acute and subacute phases, represented by mild, non-specific changes compatible with background lesions in mice. These findings indicate a favorable toxicological safety profile, supporting the potential valorization of date palm spathe extracts.