Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Pharmacological and Toxicological Studies of an Ayurvedic Formulation (“lauhasava”) on the Biological System of Rats and Mice

M. Obayed Ullah
Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Banani, Dhaka - 1213, Bangladesh

T. Shrestha
Nepal Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), P. O. Box 21749, Tusal Bouddha - 6, Kathmundu, Nepal

T. Sirajam Munira
Analytical development Laboratory, Eskayef Bangladesh Limited, Tongi, Gazipur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

M.S.K. Choudhuri
Department of Pharmacy, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

In this study, the pharmacological and toxicological effects along with possible side effects of the classical ayurvedic formulation “Lauhasava” (LSV), which is used in anemia, were evaluated. During this study, various experiments on body growth rate, organ-body weight ratio, tissue hydration indices and body fat ratio were performed to evaluate its efficacy and toxicity. In the body weight study, the LSV treated rats, irrespective of sexes, showed significantly lower body weights than the control group rats. LSV treated mice of both sexes gained less weight than their control counterparts. The study involving comparison of the relative weights of the major organs of rats and mice revealed some significant results. The percentage of lung to the body weight is significantly increased in both sexes of rats. Liver weight in LSV treated rats of both sexes were observed to be increased. The percentage of kidney weight was increased in both sexes of rats, the result being significant in the case of female rats. The thymus weight was found significantly decreased in both sexes of rats. Significant increase in the weight of rats` ovaries was observed. In the tissue hydration index experiment, only the increase in the female kidney was significant. No significant result was found in the fat content of the whole mice and eviscerated mice.

Keywords: LSV, Ayurvedic, Antianimic, Pharmacology, Toxicology

Location: Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Banani, Dhaka - 1213, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Plant(s)

Objectives:

The study was performed in an effort to evaluate the safety of the drug according to modern toxicological parameters so as to fully fathom the safety of this Ayurvedic drug as a hematinic for Alternative Medical Care.

Methodology:

LSV, included in the Bangladesh National Formulary of Ayurvedic Medicine 1992, was collected from Sri Kundeswari Aushadhalaya Ltd., Chittagong. For all the pharmacological studies, the drug was administered via per oral route at a dose of 40 mL kg^-1. Swiss-Webster strain male and female mice (20-40 g body weight) were used for the pharmacological experiments. For some experiments, Sprague-Dawley albino rats were also employed. Un-paired t-tests were done for statistical significance tests. p = 0.05 was taken to be the level of significance.

Body weight study: LSV was administered (40 mL kg^-1) once daily into the rat and mice for a period of 55 and 51 days respectively in order to assess the effects of the formulation on the body weight growth rates of rats and mice of both sexes. An equal number of animals of the same species were also maintained as the control group, which was given only distilled water. Body weight was recorded at regular intervals (2-3 days) until the treatment period was complete. Both groups of animals were kept under similar environmental conditions and provided with enough food and water throughout the experiment. In statistical analysis, the growth rate, expressed as percent increment in the body weight of the treatment group, was compared with that of the control group.

Tissue hydration index: Excised portion of heart, lung, liver and spleen (portion not subjected to histological evaluation); one entire kidney and one testis (in case of male) were weighed in an electronic balance (Shimadzu) after gently blotting dry, thus giving the wet weight of the tissue (W). These samples were dried at 110 °C for 60 h and then weighed to determine the dry tissue weight (D). Tissue hydration index (HI) was calculated as:

HI = (W-D)x100/W

Estimation of fat, water and lean mass: The determination of the fat content in the whole animals as well as in the eviscerated (devoid of the internal visceral organs) carcasses was performed by carrying out post-mortem analysis of the experimental animals following chronic oral administration with daily 40 mL kg^-1 doses of the drug to Swiss-Webster mice of both sexes. An equal number of control animals of both sexes were maintained. The control group animals were administered with equivalent amount of distilled water. At the end of 51 days treatment period, the mice of both the LSV and control groups were sacrificed. A total of 24 animals including male and female (drug treated and control) were dissected by removing all the internal organs to end up into eviscerated carcasses. The remaining 24 animals were taken as the group for whole body analysis of fat. After sacrifice, this group of mice was not dissected; instead, a simple abdominal incision was made on each of them. Thereafter, the whole mice as well as the eviscerated mice carcasses were oven dried at 110 °C for a period of 3 days. The weight difference taken before and after drying gives the water content of the body. Carcasses were then scissored into small fragments and the lipids extracted with Folch`s solvent (Chloroform/Methanol in the ratio of 2:1, v/v). Lipid of whole mice carcasses were extracted thrice with chloroform/methanol mixture and extraction with chloroform alone was performed twice before the completion of the process. Eviscerated carcasses were extracted twice with Folch`s solvent and then twice again with just chloroform. The lipid containing aliquots were collected in numbered and readily identifiable beakers. The lipid aliquots as well as the extracted mice homogenate were dried for 24 h on water bath, followed by oven-drying at 110 °C for 2 days and then weighed in an electronic balance. The weight of the dried aliquots represents the fat content of the animal in grams, whereas the weight of the dried homogenate is a measure of the lean body mass.

Source of Information: Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 11: 2013-2017; ISSN 1028-8880

Article Link (Online Journal): DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2008.2013.2017; URL: http://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjbs.2008.2013.2017

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The study involving comparison of the relative weights of the major organs of rats and mice revealed some significant results.

Knowledge Management: Journal