Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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NON-CLINICAL TOXICITY AND PHYTOTOXICITY OF TWO HERBAL EXTRACTS

ROBERT ANCUCEANU1, CRISTINA ELENA ZBÂRCEA2*, MARIA COJOCARU-TOMA3, TATIANA CALALB3, ADRIANA IULIANA ANGHEL1, SIMONA NEGREŞ2, MIHAELA DINU1, MARILENA VIORICA HOVANEŢ1

1.University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Cell Biology, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania
2.University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania
3.State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, 165 Stefan cel Mare și Sfint Street, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

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Two herbal extracts, one of Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F. H. Chen and the other from oat bran were tested for their toxicity in NMRI mice, Artemia franciscana Kellogg and for their phytotoxicity on Triticum aestivum L. No lethality was recorded and no changes in the parameters followed up were seen for any of the two extracts tested on mice. Based on the experimental data the two extracts may be classified in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) category 5. In the Artemia test, the Panax notoginseng extract was virtually non-toxic (0% lethality); the oat bran extract had slight toxicity, but for all practical purposes it may also be considered non-toxic. In the Triticum test a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on root elongation (p < 0.001), was seen at concentrations of 0.5% and higher (p < 0.001% versus control) in the case of Panax notoginseng and at concentrations of 0.25% for the oat bran extract (p < 0.012); the results are in agreement with those seen on Artemia franciscana.