Acute oral toxicity test and assessment of rhynchophylline in mice

As the main alkaloid constituent of Uncaria species, rhynchophylline has drawn extensive attention in recent years for its antihypertensive and neuroprotective activities. However, toxicity study of the rhynchophylline is still lacking. In the present study, oral acute toxicity of rhynchophylline was conducted in Kunming mice. The mice were orally treated with 520.00, 442.00, 375.70, 319.34 and 271.44 mg/kg of rhynchophylline for 14 d. The general behavior, body weight changes, toxic reaction, and death were recorded, and histopathological analyses were performed. The acute toxicity was evaluated by the assessment of the median lethal dose (LD₅₀). The acute toxicity study showed that no significant difference was found in the body weight of the mice in the control group and those in the drug group. However, the mice treated with rhynchophylline showed obvious abnormal symptoms and mortality. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of orally administered rhynchophylline was 308.08 mg/kg. The histopathological results showed that the mice in the high-dose rhynchophylline group displayed toxic effects in the brain, liver, lung, and kidney. The results of the current study indicated that rhynchophylline could not be taken at a high dose. Collectively, our current findings provided a strong basis for further clinical investigation.     

Acute toxicity and biodistribution of different sized titanium dioxide particles in mice after oral administration

In order to evaluate the toxicity of TiO(2) particles, the acute toxicity of nano-sized TiO(2) particles (25 and 80nm) on adult mice was investigated compared with fine TiO(2) particles (155nm). Due to the low toxicity, a fixed large dose of 5g/kg body weight of TiO(2) suspensions was administrated by a single oral gavage according to the OECD procedure. In 2 weeks, TiO(2) particles showed no obvious acute toxicity. However, the female mice showed high coefficients of liver in the nano-sized (25 and 80nm) groups. The changes of serum biochemical parameters (ALT/AST, LDH) and pathology (hydropic degeneration around the central vein and the spotty necrosis of hepatocytes) of liver indicated that the hepatic injury was induced after exposure to mass different-sized TiO(2) particles. In addition, the nephrotoxicity like increased BUN level and pathology change of kidneys was also observed in the experimental groups. The significant change of serum LDH and alpha-HBDH in 25 and 80nm groups showed the myocardial damage compared with the control group. However, there are no abnormal pathology changes in the heart, lung, testicle (ovary), and spleen tissues. Biodistribution experiment showed that TiO(2) mainly retained in the liver, spleen, kidneys, and lung tissues, which indicated that TiO(2) particles could be transported to other tissues and organs after uptake by gastrointestinal tract.     

Acute toxicity,twenty-eight days repeated dose toxicity and genotoxicity of vanadyl trehalose in kunming mice

A new trend has been developed using vanadium and organic ligands to form novel compounds in order to improve the beneficial actions and reduce the toxicity of vanadium compounds. In present study, vanadyl trehalose was explored the oral acute toxicity, 28 days repeated dose toxicity and genotoxicity in Kunming mice. The Median Lethal Dose (LD₅₀) of vanadyl trehalose was revealed to be 1000 mg/kg body weight in fasted Kunming mice. Stomach and intestine were demonstrated to be the main target organs of vanadyl trehalose through 28 days repeated dose toxicity study. And vanadyl trehalose also showed particular genotoxicity through mouse bone marrow micronucleus and mouse sperm malformation assay. In brief, vanadyl trehalose presented certain, but finite toxicity, which may provide experimental basis for the clinical application.     

Acute toxicity of vanadium compounds in rats and mice

Sodium metavanadate (NaVO₃) and vanadyl sulphate pentahydrate (VOSO₄ · 5H₂O) were administered to rats and mice. The following LD₅₀ (14-day) were determined: NaVO₃, 98.0 mg/kg (rats) and 74.6 mg/kg (mice) when given orally, and 18.4 mg/kg (rats) and 35.9 mg/kg (mice) when given i.p.; VOSO₄ · 5H₂O, 448.0 mg/kg (rats) and 467.2 mg/kg (mice) when given orally, and 74.1 mg/kg (rats) and 113.0 mg/kg (mice) when given i.p. The majority of deaths occurred during the first 24 h. The clinical and physical signs appearing after the intoxication include irregular respiration, diarrhea, ataxia and paralysis of the hind legs. These signs disappeared for the most part after 48 h, which suggests a quick elimination of vanadium.     

Subchronic toxicity evaluation of Huobahuagen extract and plasma metabolic profiling analysis combined with conventional pathology methods

Huobahua, namely, Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch, known as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, especially its underground parts, has been widely developed into several Tripterygium agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. It has sparked wide public concern about its safety, such as multi-organ toxicity. However, the toxic characteristics and damage mechanism of Huobahuagen extract (HBHGE) remain unclear. In the present study, subchronic oral toxicity study of HBHGE (10.0 g crude drug/kg/day for 12 weeks) was performed in male rats. Hematological, serum biochemical, and histopathological parameters, urinalysis, and plasma metabolic profiling were assessed. The single-dose subchronic toxicity results related to HBHGE exhibited obvious toxicity to the testis and epididymis of male rats. Furthermore, plasma metabolomics analysis suggested that a series of metabolic disorders were induced by oral administration of HBHGE, mainly focusing on amino acid (glutamate, phenylalanine, and tryptophan) metabolisms, pyrimidine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Moreover, it appeared that serum testosterone in male rats treated with HBHGE for 12 weeks, decreased significantly, and was susceptible to the toxic effects of HBHGE. Taken together, conventional pathology and plasma metabolomics for preliminarily exploring subchronic toxicity and underlying mechanism can provide useful information about the reduction of toxic risks from HBHGE and new insights into the development of detoxification preparations.     

Acute toxicity of gymnodimine to mice.

The acute toxicity of the phycotoxin gymnodimine to female Swiss mice by intraperitoneal injection and by oral administration has been determined. Gymnodimine was highly toxic by injection, the LD50 being only 96 microg/kg. Animals either died within 10 min of injection or made a full recovery with no perceptible long-term effects. Gymnodimine was also toxic after oral administration by gavage (LD50 755 microg/kg), but was much less toxic when administered with food. No signs of toxicity were seen in mice voluntarily ingesting food containing gymnodimine at a level sufficient to give a dose of approximately 7500 microg/kg. Pre-treatment with physostigmine or neostigmine protected against injected gymnodimine, suggesting that the latter exerts its toxic effects via blockade of nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction. The low toxicity of gymnodimine when ingested with food suggests that this compound is of low risk to humans, a conclusion that is consonant with anecdotal evidence for the absence of harmful effects in individuals consuming shellfish contaminated with gymnodimine.     

丹酚酸B对小鼠的急性毒性试验

目的进行丹酚酸B小鼠急性毒性研究,为新药开发和安全用药提供参考。方法小鼠尾静脉注射不同剂量的丹酚酸B原料,连续观察14 d,记录小鼠的急性毒性反应,并计算半数致死量(LD50)以及LD5095%可信限。结果尾静脉注射给药后,部分小鼠出现毒性反应并死亡,计算LD50为636.890 9 mg·kg-1,LD5095%的可信限为617.225 5～657.182 8 mg·kg-1,死亡动物尸检,各主要脏器肉眼未见明显改变,14 d后各剂量组存活小鼠体重均增加。结论丹酚酸B原料毒性较小。     

Acute oral toxicity in mice of a new palytoxin analog: 42-Hydroxy-palytoxin

The acute oral toxicity of a new palytoxin congener, 42-hydroxy-palytoxin (42-OH-PLTX), was investigated in female CD-1 mice. The toxin (300-1697 μg/kg), administered by gavage, induced scratching, jumping, respiratory distress, cyanosis, paralysis and death of mice, with an LD₅₀ of 651 μg/kg (95% confidence limits: 384-1018 μg/kg) within 24 h. Hematoclinical analyses showed increased plasma levels of lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate-aminotransferase at doses of 600 μg/kg and above, as well as of alanine-aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase and potassium ions at ≥848 μg/kg. Histology revealed inflammatory lesions in the non-glandular area of the stomach of mice that survived up to 24 h after gavage (424-1200 μg/kg). Although no histological alterations were seen in skeletal and cardiac muscles, changes in some plasma biomarkers (creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase) suggested involvement of these tissues in 42-OH-PLTX oral toxicity, in agreement with epidemiological data on seafood poisonings ascribed to palytoxins. Complete recovery of the tissue and hematological changes was observed two weeks post-exposure.Furthermore, 42-OH-PLTX induced in vitro delayed erythrocyte hemolysis at concentrations similar to those of PLTX (EC₅₀ = 7.6 and 13.2 × 10⁻¹² M, respectively). This hemolysis could be completely neutralized by a monoclonal anti-PLTX antibody. The in vivo data, together with the in vitro data recorded for 42-OH-PLTX, seem to indicate Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase as one of the key cellular targets of this toxin.     

二巯丁二酸对小鼠的急性毒性作用

目的探讨二巯丁二酸（DMSA）对小鼠的急性毒性作用。方法20只昆明小鼠，雌雄各半，体质量（21．2±2．3）g，适应性喂养3d，按体质量随机分为对照组和实验组，给药前禁食12h，实验组每只小鼠于24h内分4次经口给予DMSA160mg，对照组给予等体积的去离子水，观察1周，然后摘除眼球取血，置于肝素化试管，5000r／min，离心5min，取血浆；处死小鼠，取其脑、心脏、肝脏和肾脏，0．9％氯化钠溶液清洗。测定抗氧化酶系统、过氧化产物、血尿素氮、血肌酐及氨基转移酶水平。结果（1）试验观察期内小鼠出现消化道症状，进食减少，体质量降低，腹腔轻度积水，此外未见其他明显中毒症状；（2）脑组织、肝脏和肾脏超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性降低，但差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05），谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH—PX）活性明显降低（P〈0．01），肝脏丙二醛（MDA）显著性升高（P〈0．01）；（3）血尿素氮和肌酐水平显著性升高（P〈0．001）；血氨基转移酶升高（P〈0．001），而肝肾氨基转移酶无显著性变化。结论二巯丁二酸抑制机体抗氧化系统，对肝脏和肾脏具有毒性作用。     

Acute and repeated-doses (28 days) toxicity study of Hypericum polyanthemum Klotzsch ex Reichardt (Guttiferare) in mice

Hypericum polyanthemum, a South Brazilian species showed antidepressant-like and antinociceptive effects in rodents. Since limited information is available on the toxicity and safety profile of the Hypericum genus, we therefore investigated whether H. polyanthemum cyclo-hexane extract (POL) treatment could be associated with toxicity in preclinical setting using mice as an experimental model. These toxicity studies were based on the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD-guidelines 423 and 407). Animals received POL single dose (2000 mg/kg, p.o.) or daily for 28-days (90, 450 and 900 mg/kg, p.o.). Acute toxicity study did not detect any clinical signs, changes in behavior or mortality. In repeated dose toxicity study, POL affected the body weight gain and induced biochemical, hematological and liver histological changes at 450 and 900 mg/kg. Mice treated with POL 90 mg/kg did not show any toxicity signs. In conclusion H. polyanthemum can be classified as safe (category 5) according to OECD acute toxicity parameters. However, the alterations observed after repeated treatment with high doses suggest that the liver could be the target organ on potential H. polyanthemum toxicity and point to the need of further toxicity studies.     

Acute and 30-day oral toxicity studies of administered carnosic acid

Purpose

Increasing interest in carnosic acid (CA) is due to its pharmacological properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and 30-day oral toxicity of CA.

Methods

The acute oral toxicity study in Kuming mice design followed the OECD-guidelines 423, and a 30-day chronic oral toxicity study in Wistar rats based on the enhanced OECD test guideline 407 were performed.

Results

The oral lethal dose (LD50) for mice was 7100 mg/kg of body weight in the acute toxicity study. The histopathological changes were observed in the heart, liver and kidney for the survival mice treated with a single dose CA. For the sub chronic toxicity study, CA administered for 30 days produced slightly reductions in the weight gain pattern, which did not reach the significant level when compared with the control values. With respect to serum biochemistry test, decreased total serum protein levels, but conversely increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were detected in the high-dose and moderate-dose groups. Histopathologically, light pathological changes were observed in the heart, liver, and kidney of rats treated with the high-dose CA.

Conclusion

The present work suggests that a short-term oral administration of CA has a relatively low toxicity profile.     

Acute toxicity of pinnatoxins E, F and G to mice

The acute toxicities to mice of pinnatoxins E, F and G, members of the cyclic imine group of phycotoxins, by intraperitoneal injection and/or oral administration, have been determined. These substances were all very toxic by intraperitoneal injection, with LD₅₀ values between 12.7 and 57 μg/kg. Pinnatoxin E was much less toxic by oral administration than by intraperitoneal injection, but this was not the case for pinnatoxin F. The median lethal doses of the latter substance by gavage and by voluntary intake were only 2 and 4 times higher than that by injection. The high oral toxicity of pinnatoxin F raises concerns as to the possibility of adverse effects of this substance in shellfish consumers, although it should be noted that no toxic effects in humans have been recorded with pinnatoxins or with any other compound of the cyclic imine group.     

Acute oral toxicity of nickel compounds

Acute oral toxicity studies were conducted on samples of nine unique nickel compounds and two complex materials to comply with the data and classification requirements of the new Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals Regulation (REACH) in Europe. The samples tested in this study confirmed the overall low oral toxicity of nickel substances and demonstrated a wide range of LD₅₀ values extending from 310 to >11,000 mg/kg. This variation highlights the differences in toxicological properties between various forms of nickel and underscores the importance of Ni(II) ion bioavailability in determining toxicity. The relative acute oral toxicity of the various nickel substances was found to be: nickel fluoride, nickel sulfate, nickel chloride, nickel acetate > nickel sulfamate > nickel hydroxycarbonate > nickel dihydroxide ?$?$ nickel subsulfide, nickel oxides, nickel ash, nickel mattes. Based on these data, four nickel compounds would receive a Category 4 acute toxicity classification according to the European Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemical Substances and Mixtures (CLP), while the rest of the nickel substances tested fit the criterion for no classification. These data also provided the in vivo verification needed to perform read-across for additional oral toxicity endpoints and nickel substances.     

Safety assessment of vitacoxib: Acute and 90-day sub-chronic oral toxicity studies

Vitacoxib, is a newly developed coxibs NSAID (selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2). To date, no experimental data have been published concerning its safety for use as an additive in the human diet. In the present study, we assessed the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of vitacoxib administered by gavage. The acute toxicity tests in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and ICR mice demonstrated that vitacoxib at a dose of 5000 mg/kg BW failed to alter any of the parameters studied. In the 90-day sub-chronic toxicity test, vitacoxib was administered to SD rats at the doses of 0 (control), 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 mg/kg BW. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences for most indexes of sub-chronic toxicity throughout the experiment at the dose of 5–20 mg/kg BW, indicating no apparent dose-dependent. However, there were significant histopathology changes in the liver and kidney, and alterations in some biochemical parameters in the 60 mg/kg BW group. Based on these findings, the gavage LD₅₀ was determined to be > 5000 mg/kg in SD rats and ICR mice, and the 90-day gavage no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of vitacoxib was considered to be 20 mg/kg BW under the present study conditions.     

Subchronic oral toxicity of strychnine in rats

In recent years strychnine has been used for the treatment of nonketotic hyperglycinemia, a rare metabolic disease in infants. Since no information on repeated dose toxicity of this drug was available, a subacute oral toxicity study in rats was conducted. Strychnine hydrochloride was administered orally to rats for 4 weeks in aqueous 0,2 % solution. The study showed no organ and tissue damage or functional disorders. The difficulty to conduct meaningful repeated-dose toxicity studies with drugs exhibiting potent pharmacological actions and a steep dose-effect curve are discussed.     

Acute toxicity of berberine and its correlation with the blood concentration in mice

The aim of this study was to investigate the LD₅₀ (median lethal dosage) of berberine (BBR) through three different routes of injection in mice: intravenous (IV) injection, intraperitoneal (IP) injection, and intragastric (IG) oral administration. The concentration of BBR in blood from their IG doses (10.4, 20.8, 41.6, and 83.2 g/kg) and the content relationship of BBR among different injections were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The LD₅₀ of BBR from IV and IP injections is 9.0386 and 57.6103 mg/kg, respectively; but no LD₅₀ was found in the IG group. A significant difference in bioavailability was observed between the different routes. Furthermore, the concentration of BBR in the blood from different IG doses was also significantly different. However, we discovered an interesting phenomenon indicating that the absorption of BBR by oral administration has a limit, therefore, explaining the difficulty in obtaining an LD₅₀ of BBR for IG injection. From the analysis of BBR content in blood after various administrations, we hypothesized that not only does the concentration of BBR in blood contribute to its acute toxicity, but also the routes of administration may be an important facet that affects this toxicity evaluation.     

Assessment of the 4-week repeated-dose oral toxicity and genotoxicity of GHX02

Herbal medicines are widely utilized for disease prevention and health promotion. GHX02 consists of mixtures including Gwaruin (Trichosanthes kirilowii), Haengin (Prunus armeniaca), Hwangryeon (Coptis japonica) and Hwangkeum (Scutellaria baicalensis). It has been purported to have therapeutic effectiveness in cases of severe bronchitis. Non-clinical safety testing comprised a single-dose oral toxicity study and a 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity study with a 14-day recovery period, and genotoxicity was assessed by a bacterial reverse mutation test, in vitro chromosomal aberration test, in vivo mouse bone marrow micronucleus test and single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay). In the single-dose oral toxicity study, the approximate lethal dosage is estimated to be higher than 5000 mg/kg in rats. Thus, the dosage levels were set at 0, 1250, 2500 and 5000 mg/kg/day in the 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity study, and 10 male rats and 10 female rats/dose were administered GHX02. No clinical signs of toxicological significance were recorded in any animal during the dosing and the observation period in the single-dose study. The no-observed-adverse-effect level of GHX02 was 5000 mg/kg/day when administered orally for 28 days to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Despite increases in the frequencies of cells with numerical chromosomal aberration in the in vitro test, the increases were not considered relevant to the in vivo genetic risk. Except for the increase of in vitro numerical chromosomal aberration, clear negative results were obtained from other genetic toxicity studies.     

Acute and sub-chronic toxicity studies of the extract of Thunberg Fritillary Bulb

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of extract of Thunberg Fritillary Bulb. For the acute toxicity tests, graded doses of the extract were administered orally to mice. The animals were observed for toxic symptoms and mortality daily for 14 days. In the sub-chronic toxicity study, rats were orally administered the extract at doses of 1 and 3 mg/kg body weight (BW) for 26 weeks. After 26 weeks, the rats were sacrificed for hematological, biochemical and histological examination. In the acute toxicity tests, the estimated median lethal dosage (LD₅₀) was 52.2 mg/kg body weight in the mice. In the sub-chronic toxicity tests, a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight presented no toxicity. Above the 1 mg/kg dose, the main adverse signs observed in male rats were body or head tremor and spontaneous motor activity reduction. There were no other significant changes observed in hematology, blood biochemistry, organ weight and organ histology. The overall findings of this study indicate that the extract of Thunberg Fritillary Bulb is non-toxic up to 1 mg/kg body weight, which can be considered a safe application dose.     

替莫唑胺的小鼠急性毒性试验

目的观察替莫唑胺对小鼠的急性毒性。方法采用灌胃给药和腹腔注射给药两种途径进行试验,采用Bliss法计算半数致死量(LD50)。结果一次给药替莫唑胺可以对小鼠产生急性毒性,使小鼠陆续死亡,观察至给药后14d及以上仍有动物死亡。结论本品小鼠灌胃给药LD50为173.90mg/kg(95%的可信限为154.49～199.75mg/kg),腹腔注射给药LD50为164.53mg/kg(95%的可信限为144.36～187.49mg/kg)。     

Repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity study of DEAE-Dextran in mice: An advancement in safety chemotherapeutics

Cancer has emerged as a global threat with challenges for safe chemotherapeutics. Most of the currently available anti-cancer drugs exhibit significant toxicity. Amongst novel agents, interferons have exhibited anti-proliferative and cytoprotective roles. However, due to stability drawbacks of interferons, we have identified an interferon inducer DEAE-Dextran, which resolves the stability issues. Based on the previous history of toxicity pertaining to the current chemotherapeutic agents, it is equally essential to determine the safety of DEAE-Dextran. In the present study, repeated dose 28 day oral toxicity of DEAE-Dextran has been evaluated in accordance to OECD-407. We found absence of any CNS behavioral changes related to self-mutilation, walking backwards, aggressiveness on handling or tonic-clonic seizures during the 28 day study. Neither the motor activity nor grip strength was altered during the treatment duration with DEAE-Dextran implying absence of any effect on the skeletal muscles. Interestingly, we also found that treatment with DEAE-Dextran did not present any significant cardiac, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, lymphatic or reproductive system toxicity or alteration in the body's normal physiology based upon the various organ function tests. Henceforth, it may be concluded that DEAE-Dextran is a safe anti-cancer agent devoid of any sub-acute toxicity.