STUDIES ON THE ACUTE TOXICITY OF THE EXTRACTS OF GENTIANA ASCLEPIADEA L

Abstract

The search and creation of new medicinal products based on plant raw materials is one of the important tasks of medicine and pharmacy. Toxicological studies are an important stage in the development of new medicinal products. Studies on the acute toxicity make it possible to obtain information about the danger of the studied drug in the conditions of short-term studies and the prospects for conducting further tests. Gentiana (G.) asclepiadea, which has long been used in traditional medicine, is promising for research and further creation of medicinal products. The aim is to study the acute toxicity of liquid and thick extracts of Gentiana asсlepiadea roots. Materials and methods. The objects of the study were liquid and thick extracts of the roots of G. аsсlepiadea, which were obtained from the crushed roots by the method of remaceration with 40% ethanol, followed by evaporation for a thick extract. The acute toxicity of G. asсlepiadea roots extracts in order to determine the LD50 was studied in accordance with the methodological recommendations of the State Pharmacological Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on male mice by a single intragastric injection. The animals were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. Animals of group I (intact animals) were given drinking water; animals of the II group were injected with 40 % ethanol; animals of III and IV groups were injected with liquid and thick extracts of G. asсlepiadea roots, respectively. The studied extracts, 40 % ethanol and drinking water were injected intragastrically at a dose of 25 ml/kg. The animals were observed for 14 days. The degree of toxicity of the extracts was assessed by changes in the general condition of the animals, lethality, the effect of the extract on the dynamics of the body weight of the animals, macroscopic signs of internal organs, their mass coefficients were calculated, hematological and some biochemical blood parameters were determined. Results of the research. No deaths of animals were noted, appearance and behavioral reactions did not differ from intact animals with a single intragastric injection of G. asсlepiadea roots extracts at a dose of 25 ml/kg. During the observation period, there was a physiological increase in the body weight of the animals relative to the initial data. Macroscopic examination of the internal organs of animals revealed no pathological changes, the mass coefficients of internal organs did not differ from intact animals, which indicates the absence of hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects when taking extracts of G. asсlepiadea. The lack of toxic effect of G. asсlepiadea extracts is confirmed by hematological and biochemical indicators, since the number of leukocytes, erythrocytes, hemoglobin level, activity of ALT and AST in the blood of the animals of the experimental groups were within the parameters of intact animals. Thus, the maximum administered dose of the liquid root extract of G. asclepiadea in terms of dry matter was 5015 mg/kg, and the thick root extract was 5000 mg/kg. Conclusions. According to the results of the study of acute toxicity of liquid and thick extracts of the roots of G. asclepiadea when administered intragastrically to male mice in doses of 25 ml/kg and 5000 mg/kg, respectively, it was established that they have no toxic effect. This means that the studied extracts of the roots of G. asclepiadea can be attributed to practically non-toxic substances (toxicity class V, LD50 > 5000 mg/kg), according to the classification of substances by toxicity.