Berberine Toxicity Profile in Experimental Models as a Basis for Assessing Its Biological Safety

Berberine, a natural alkaloid, is a substance widely used in natural medicine. However, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the potential negative effects of higher environmental concentrations of berberine resulting from its use as a supplement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess its toxicity towards microorganisms and organisms from various trophic levels. The results indicate that berberine may influence the reorganization of bacterial membranes, thereby negatively impacting the environmental microbiome. However, oxidative cell damage, a phenomenon commonly described in the literature, was not demonstrated. At the concentrations used, berberine may even have a protective effect. The analysis of toxicity towards Tetrahymena, Selenastrum, and Heterocypris indicated a similar level of berberine toxicity across these organisms, suggesting that the toxic effect is not species-dependent and that the mechanism of toxicity is probably based on universal cellular mechanisms.