title: Safety evaluation of Angelica gigas: Genotoxicity and 13-weeks oral subchronic toxicity in rats.
abstract: As a well-known traditional medicine, Angelica gigas (AG) and its active constituents, including decursin and decursinol, have been shown to possess several health beneficial properties such as anti-bacterial, immunostimulating, anti-tumor, neuroprotective, anti-nociceptive and anti-amnestic activities. However, there is lack of toxicity studies to assess potential toxicological concerns, especially long-term toxicity and genotoxicity, regarding the AG extract. Therefore, the safety of AG extract was assessed in subchronic toxicity and genotoxicity assays in accordance with the test guidelines published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In a subchronic toxicity study for 13 weeks (125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight, delivered by gavage), data revealed no significant adverse effects of the AG extract in food consumption, body weight, mortality, hematology, biochemistry, necropsy, organ weight and histopathology throughout the study in male and female rats. These results suggest that no observed adverse effect level of the AG extract administered orally was determined to be greater than 2000 mg/kg/day, the highest dose tested. In addition, a battery of tests including Ames test, in vitro chromosome aberration assay and in vivo micronucleus assay suggested that the AG extract was not genotoxic. In conclusion, the AG extract appears to be safe as a traditional medicine for oral consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Center for Animal Resource and Development, N-BIO, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Euna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun-Soon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Ran
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo Ho
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeon Hoe
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Center for Animal Resource and Development, N-BIO, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Graduate School of Translational Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Designed Animal and Transplantation Research Institute, Institute of GreenBio Science Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: bckang@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Byeong-Cheol
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D029969:Angelica; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003412:Cricetulus; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000633:toxicity*; D018517:Plant Roots; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D059551:Toxicity Tests, Subacute; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Angelica gigas; Genotoxicity; Subchronic; Toxicity; Traditional medicine