Toxicity studies on Secretio Bufonis: a traditional supplement in Asia.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to investigate the toxicity of Secretio Bufonis (SB) on male mice and assess its no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL).


METHODS
After feeding an aqueous solution of SB extracts to mice for either 1 or 8 weeks, their blood and urine were assayed and their liver and kidney morphology examined. The numerical data was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test and analysis of variance test.


RESULTS
Mice administered SB in 50 mg/kg/day for 1 week had higher heart weights and higher aspartate transaminase activities; those administered SB in 0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks had lower creatinine concentrations; and those administered SB in 0.5 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks had higher brain weights and higher blood urea nitrogen.


CONCLUSIONS
The extracts of SB had cardiac toxicity in the short term and hepatotoxicity in the long term. The NOAEL of the extract was under 5 mg/kg/day for 1 week and under 0.25 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks.
Yoo
Won-Seung
WS
East-West Cancer Center, Dunsan Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University, South Korea.
Kim
Jungsun
J
Lee
Yeon-Weol
YW
Yoon
Dae-Hwan
DH
Cho
Chong-Kwan
CK
Yoo
Hwa-Seung
HS
D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D001688:Biological Products / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002025:Bufonidae; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects
D001688:Biological Products