3.4.1 Acute and subchronic toxicity studies of swertiamarin in rats
3.4.1.1 Acute oral toxicity
In the acute toxicity study, the rats were treated with different doses of swertiamarin orally from the range of 5 – 2000 mg/kg body weight which did not produce significant signs of toxicity, behavioral responses, physiological changes, physical observations (skin, fur, eyes mucous membrane, behavior patterns, tremors, salivation, and diarrhea of the rats) and mortality in the test groups when compared to the controls, observed during the entire 15 days of the acute toxicity experimental study period. There was neither mortality observed at the tested dose nor any weight loss nor significant differences observed in the relative organ weights in this study group rats. …show more content…
ns – not significant, Comparison between groups and control
3.4.1.2.3 Relative organ weights (ROW)
The weights of each organs recorded did not show any significant differences in the treatment and the control group indicating that swertiamarin was not toxic to heart, kidney, liver, spleen and pancreas (Table 3.2).
Table 3.2: Effects of swertiamarin on changes in relative organ weight (g) of control and treated experimental rats at the end of 50 days in subchronic toxicity study
Organs Group I Group II Group III Group IV Group V Group VI
Heart 0.32± 0.02 0.31 ± 0.02 0.32± 0.01 0.33± 0.03 0.35± 0.02 0.33 ± 0.05 ns
Kidney 0.52± 0.02 0.57± 0.01 0.55 ± 0.02 0.53± 0.03 0.56 ± 0.01 0.59 ± 0.06 ns
Liver 3.51 ± 0.15 3.53 ± 0.10 3.51 ± 0.15 3.55 ± 0.12 3.54 ± 0.25 3.56 ± 0.33 ns
Spleen 0.21 ± 0.02 0.23± 0.03 0.24 ± 0.02 0.26 ± 0.03 0.28 ± 0.01 0.26 ± 0.04 ns
Pancreas 0.21 ± 0.01 0.22 ± 0.02 0.23 ± 0.01 0.26 ± 0.05 0.25 ± 0.03 0.26 ± 0.03