Acute toxicity determination of summer savory liquid extract

Abstract

Topicality. The investigation of toxicity class is an important step in pharmacological studies of potential drugs that is based on using biologically active substances of medicinal plants for establishing of their safety. Aim . To study the acute toxicity of a new herbal substance –the liquid extract of the herb of Summer Savory. Materials and methods . The extract was obtained by sequential extraction of the plant’s herb with 70 %, 50 % and 30 % ethanol, followed by pooling and concentrating the recovered extracts. The acute toxicity was studied with using 48 white rats of both sexes weighing 190-220 g. The extract at doses 500 mg/kg, 1500 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg (in terms of its dry residue) was used in the experiment. After the administration of extract the animals were observed daily for 14 days. Results and discussion . After intragastric administration of liquid extract to rats of both sexes at a maximum dose of 5000 mg/kg the death or features of intoxication have not been recorded. Thus, the LD 50 value of the investigated extract is outside the dose of 5000 mg/kg. It indicates a high degree of its safety and prospects for further pharmacological studies. Conclusions. The obtained results shows the absence of any toxic effect of the investigated extract at doses of 500-5000 mg/kg and allow to attribute it to at least to V class of toxicity – practically harmless substances.