title: Ninety days of repeated gavage administration of Rhodiola imbricata extract in rats.
abstract: Rhodiola imbricata is a high-altitude plant, possesses adaptogenic, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant and cytoprotective activity, and is widely used in traditional medicine. The present study was designed to ascertain the safety of aqueous extract of R. imbricata root when administered by gavage to rats for 90 days. Four groups of animals, each consisting of 15 males and 15 females, were administered 0, 100, 250 or 500 mg kg(-1) extract, in a single dose per day. The experimental rats when administered 100 mg kg(-1) of extract did not show any significant change in their body weight gain, organ/body weight ratio, or histological, hematological and biochemical variables studied. However, at higher doses of 250 and 500 mg kg(-1) extract, an increase in the body weight of rats of both the sexes was apparent without any change in their organ/body weight ratio. Furthermore, a noteworthy increase in plasma glucose and protein levels was recorded at both the higher doses, which were restored to normal after a 2-week withdrawal of treatment. Based on the findings of this study, the no observed effect level was 100 mg kg(-1) body weight per day of aqueous root extract of R. imbricata in rats administered subchronically.
authors.affiliation: Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi-110 054, India. rktulsawani@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Rajkumar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tulsawani
authors.forename: Dharmendra Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Meena
authors.forename: Hem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Ram Niwas
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Meena
authors.forename: Vanita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Ratan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Harish Madan
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Divekar
authors.forename: Ramesh Chand
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sawhney
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D009929:Organ Size; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D029771:Rhodiola / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D010936:Plant Extracts