title: Toxicological study of the hepatotherapeutic herbal formula, chunggan extract, in beagle dogs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the pharmaceutical safety of a Chinese herbal formula, chunggan extract (CGX), traditionally prescribed as a hepatotherapeutic drug via systemic acute and subacute toxicological study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty male dogs and 20 female dogs were fed doses 50 times and 4 times greater than the clinically-recommended drug dosages in an acute and a subacute toxicological study, respectively. Adverse effects were examined by comparing the differences between normal and drug-administered groups using clinical signs, necropsies, histopathologic findings, haematology, urinalysis, and biochemical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the acute study no change in the body weight, diarrhoea, apetite, mortality rate and histopathology of major organs was observed in male or female dogs with a single administration of CGX at 5 g/kg. No drug-induced abnormalities at analysis of histopathology, haematology, urinalysis, and biochemistry were found with any dose of this drug.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CGX is supposed to be very safe when used in a clinical application with a wide therapeutic index.
authors.affiliation: East-West Cancer Center, Dunsan Oriental Hospital of Oriental Medical Collage of Daejeon University, Seo-gu, Daejeon 302-122, South Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jang-Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jin-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Dong-Seok
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Hark-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ha-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Jung-Hyo
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Chong-Kwan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hwa-Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Yeon-Weol
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chang-Gue
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Son
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004285:Dogs; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal