Study of Acute Toxicity of an Herbal Extract of <i>Astragalus vulpinus</i>

Abstract

This paper studies the acute toxicity of an herbal extract of Astragalus vulpinus Willd. growing in the Astrakhan Oblast. Experiments were carried out on white nonlinear rats. The animals were divided into several groups (n = 6): the control group receiving intragastric distilled water and the experimental groups receiving intragastric extract of the Astragalus vulpinus extract once at doses of 100, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg. On the first day after extract administration, the animals were under continuous observation. During the entire observation period for 14 days, the animals were monitored in terms of their general condition, body weight, food refusal, and coat appearance, as well as their response to sound, light, and tactile stimuli. The response to sound was evaluated by a sudden sharp knock on the cage and identification of the animal’s flinching. The response to light was assessed by shining light into the eye with a penlight to control eye lid closure. Tactile stimuli were evaluated by compressing the basal part of the tail. After removing the animals from the experiment, macroscopic examination of internal organs (brain, liver, spleen, heart, stomach) and hematological analysis of blood smears were performed. During the research, the LD50 of the Astragalus vulpinus herbal extract under study was established. When the extract was administered at a dose of 4000 mg/kg, animal mortality was recorded (3 individuals died by the third day). In the remaining animals, a decrease in weight and leukocyte count was observed along with changes in the gastric mucosa. In terms of acute toxicity, the extract under study was found to belong to low-toxic substances with an LD50 of 4000 mg/kg. However, its administration at a dose of 4000 mg/kg led to changes in leukocyte count and gastric mucosa. Therefore, the chronic toxicity of Astragalus vulpinus herbal extracts requires additional research.