• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2013

Objectives : The object of this study was to obtain acute information (single oral dose toxicity) of Scutellariae Radix Aqueous Extracts (SR; yield = 27.20%) which traditionally have been used in Korean medicine for treating various diseases including inflammatory diseases. Methods : In order to observe the 50% lethal dose ($LD_{50}$), approximate lethal dosage (ALD) and target organs, SR Aqueous Extracts were once orally administered to female and male ICR mice at dose levels of 2,000, 1,000, 500 and 0 (control) mg/kg (body weight.) according to the recommendation of KFDA Guidelines. The mortality and changes on body weight, clinical signs and gross observation were monitored during 14 days after single oral treatment of SR according to KFDA Guidelines with organ weights and histopathological observations of 14 types of principle organs. Results : After single oral treatment of SR, we could not find any mortality and toxicological evidences up to 2,000 mg/kg treated group, the limited dosages in rodents, on the body and organ weights, clinical signs, gross and histopathological observations, except for some accidental findings. Conclusions : The results obtained in this study suggest that the $LD_{50}$ and ALD of SR in both female and male mice after single oral treatment be considered as over 2,000 mg/kg because no mortalities were detected up to 2,000 mg/kg that was the highest dose recommended by KFDA and OECD, and can be safely used in clinics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-195
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• 2014

Essential oils extracted or purified from various plants have shown various beneficial effects. Seed parts of Schizandra chinensis Baillon (Schisandrae Semen) have been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years in parts of Asia, including Korea, China, and Japan. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of essential oils purified from S. fructus (S. chinensis Baillon) remain largely unresolved. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of Schisandrae Semen essential oil (SSeo) by a single- dose toxicity study in mice. SSeo was orally administered at a dose of 5,000 mg/kg in ICR mice. All animals were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment. After a single administration, mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, and gross pathological findings were observed for 14 days. We also measured parameters of organ weight, clinical chemistry, and hematology. No toxicological change related to the test substance or mortality was observed after administration of a single oral dose of SSeo. There were no adverse effects on clinical signs, body weight, or organ weight and no gross pathological findings in any treatment group. The clinical chemistry and hematological parameters were within the normal ranges except total bilirubin. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose for oral administration of SSeo in mice was considered to be over 5,000 mg/kg. The results on the single-dose toxicity of SSeo indicate that it is not possible to reach oral dose levels related to death or dose levels with any harmful side effects.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.650-657
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• 2011

The object of this study was to obtain acute information (single oral dose toxicity) of Taraxaci Herba (Dried total parts of Taraxacum platycarpum. H.Dahlstedt (Compositae)), has been traditionally used in Korean medicine for treating various inflammatory diseases. In order to observe the 50% lethal dose (LD 50), approximate lethal dosage (ALD) and target organs, test articles were once orally administered to female and male ICR mice at dose levels of 2,000, 1,000, 500 mg/kg according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration Guidelines. The mortality and changes on body weight, clinical signs and gross observation were monitored during 14 days after single oral treatment of Taraxaci Herba aqueous extracts according to KFDA Guidelines with organ weights and histopathological observations of 12 types of principle organs. After single oral treatment of Taraxaci Herba aqueous extracts, we could not find any mortality and toxicological evidences up to 2,000 mg/kg treated group, the limited dosages in rodents at body and organ weights, clinical signs, gross and histopathological observations. Except for slight soft feces, which were detected in male mice treated with 2,000 mg/kg of Taraxaci Herba aqueous extracts at 1 day after end of treatment. The results obtained in this study suggest that the LD 50 and ALD of Taraxaci Herba aqueous extracts in both female and male mice after single oral treatment were considered as over 2,000 mg/kg because no mortalities were detected up to 2000 mg/kg that was the highest dose recommended by KFDA and OECD. However, it also observed that the possibility of digestive disorders, like diarrhea when administered over 2,000 mg/kg of Taraxaci Herba aqueous extracts in the present study, but these possibilities of digestive disorders can be disregard in clinical use because they ate transient in the highest dosages male only.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2018

The Houttuynia cordata has been utilized for various beneficial purposes in humans mainly because of its potent antioxidant principle quercitrin present in this plant. This study examines the possibility of producing a functional sea food commodity containing active principle quercitrin by feeding H. cordata for a extended period. Spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) were fed a diet containing H. cordata at 0.1-1.0% levels for 1 month and tissue concentrations of quercitrin were analyzed in serum, hepatopancreas and muscle. It was observed that quercitrin was found in the ranking order of hepatopancreas>muscle>serum. After a bolus administration of quercitrin (20 mg/kg, oral) to spotted sea bass and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), idential rank order was observed after 48 hr. In contrast, the order was liver>serum>muscle in rat and mice, indicating that higher quercitrin distribution occurs to the muscle in fishes compared with in mammals tested. High residue concentration of qeurcitrin in the edible tissue can be an advantageous property in terms of functional food production. High level H. cordata extract inclusion of 1.0% seems to have detrimental effects in spotted sea bass leading to growth retardation and hepatic damage. It was concluded that incorporation of H. cordata extract into diet can be a way of producing healthy foods. However the level of active extract needs fine tuning to avoid toxicity to fishes.