Preclinical Safety of the Root Extract of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow in Sprague-Dawley Rats and Beagle Dogs

The root of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow has been used for the treatment of insomnia, depression, and amnesia. However, the toxicological properties of the herb have been overlooked, because it has been used for a long time for various purposes. In this study, we evaluated the preclinical safety of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-15
Main Authors: Yun, Yeo Sang, Ha, Hyun Jee, Won, Beom Young, Shin, Ki Young, Lee, Hyung Gun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amnesia
Body weight
Discoloration
Dogs
Drug dosages
Ethanol
FDA approval
Food
Functional foods & nutraceuticals
Health aspects
Hematology
Hemorrhage
Herbal medicine
Insomnia
Laboratory animals
Males
Medicinal plants
Medicine, Botanic
Medicine, Herbal
Pharmacology
Pharmacology, Experimental
Polygala tenuifolia
Rats
Rodents
Sleep disorders
Toxicity
Toxicity testing
Toxicology
Vomiting
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Summary:The root of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow has been used for the treatment of insomnia, depression, and amnesia. However, the toxicological properties of the herb have been overlooked, because it has been used for a long time for various purposes. In this study, we evaluated the preclinical safety of the root extract in rats and beagle dogs. First, the acute oral toxicity was tested in both rats and dogs. In the rats, only one female of 2 g/kg died, but no treatment-related death or clinical and gross findings were observed after the administration. No toxicological changes or mortalities related to the test substance were also observed after the administration in the dogs. Although vomiting, discoloration, or hemorrhage was found in some dogs, there were no serious abnormalities. Second, the subchronic toxicity was investigated in the rats. Two animals were found dead in the female group of 1,000 mg/kg/day, but there were no abnormal findings associated with the test substance. There also were no adverse effects on the clinical signs, body weight, and hematological and biochemical findings. Therefore, our results showed that the acute or subchronic toxicity of the root extract of Polygala tenuifolia might not be toxic to rats and dogs.
ISSN:1741-427X
1741-4288
DOI:10.1155/2014/570134