Single-Dose Intramuscular Toxicity of Mahwangcheonoh Pharmacopuncture in a Rat Model: - Toxicity of Mahwangcheonoh Pharmacopuncture in SD Rats.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to analyze the single-dose toxicity and the safety of Mahwangcheonoh pharmacopuncture extracts.

METHODS: Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. Doses of Mahwangcheonoh pharmacopuncture extracts were set at 0.25 mL (low-dose), 0.5 mL (medium-dose) and 1.0 mL (high-dose) for the test groups. A dose of 1.0 mL of normal saline solution was set for the control group. During 14 days, general symptoms, mortalities, and changes in hematology, blood biochemistry and histopathology of all rats were observed.

RESULTS: No death was observed in all test groups. Any abnormal symptom was not observed in all of the groups. No significant changes in weight between the control group and the test groups were observed. In addition, no significant differences in the hematology signs, the blood biochemistry levels and the histopathological signs related to the Mahwangcheonoh pharmacopuncture extracts injection were observed.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that Mahwangcheonoh pharmacopuncture at doses of 1.0 mL or less may be consider safe and non-toxic. So, it can be used for therapy of obesity sufficiently. But further studies on this subject must be performed to confirm and verify this conclusion.