BackgroundLignosus rhinocerus (L. rhinocerus), which is known locally as Tiger Milk mushroom, is traditionally used in the treatment of asthma by indigenous communities in Malaysia. However, to date, its efficacy on asthma has not been confirmed by scientific studies and there is also sparse information available on its active constituents. In this study, the volatile constituent of L. rhinocerus hot water extract was investigated using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The potential effects of L. rhinocerus extract for anti-asthmatic activity was further investigated on ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized asthmatic Sprague Dawley rats.MethodsSequential extraction using five solvents (petroleum ether, diethyl ether, hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) was conducted prior to GC-MS analysis. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the following four groups of five animals each: 1) normal rats, 2) sensitization plus OVA-challenged rats 3) sensitization plus OVA-challenged with L. rhinocerus treatment and 4) sensitization plus OVA-challenged with dexamethasone treatment. The levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the serum and T-helper 2 cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), as well as eosinophil infiltration in the lungs, were investigated.ResultsGC-MS analysis revealed the presence of five main groups (alkane, fatty acids, benzene, phenol and dicarboxylic acid) with a total of 18 constituents. Linoleic acid (21.35 %), octadecane (11.82 %) and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl elaidate (10.47 %) were present in high amounts. The extract significantly ameliorated the increase in total IgE in serum and IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 levels in BALF and also effectively suppressed eosinophils numbers in BALF while attenuating eosinophil infiltrations in the lungs.ConclusionL. rhinocerus hot water extract has the potential to be used as an alternative for the treatment of acute asthma.

f o r f r e e d o w n l o a d f r o m a s i t e h o s t e d b y M e d k n o w P u b l i c a t i o n s ( w w w . m e d k n o w . c o m) . ABSTRACT Objective: To detect potential adverse effects of aqueous extract of Labisia pumila var. alata (LPE) or `Kacip Fatimah' on the estrous cycle, reproductive performance, post-natal growth and offspring survival of rats. Department of Pharmacology, Materials and Methods: Forty eight (48) female Sprague Dawley rats with consecutive School of Medical Sciences, 4 to 6 days estrous cycle were given distilled water (as control) or LPE at 2, 20, 200, 400 *School of Health Sciences, or 800 mg/kg daily by gavaging ten days prior to mating, mating (a maximum period of Universiti Sains Malaysia Health ten days), gestation and lactation periods of seven days. Dams and fetuses were sacrificed Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, on day seven postnatal. Kelantan, Malaysia Results: Labisia pumila extracts did not alter the estrous cycle and general health of all Received: 11.8.2005 rats. All the animals proceed towards successful mating and pregnancies. There was no Revised: 22.9.2005 significant difference in the duration of pregnancy and all pregnant rats delivered normally. Accepted: 29.1.2006 Statistically no test agent-related changes in the maternal body weight, number of implantations, litter size and pup body weights were observed. Other parameters measured Correspondence to:include pup sex ratio, live birth index, pup viability index and percentage of implantation Siti Amrah Sulaiman death which also showed no significant difference. E-mail:Conclusion: The present findings indicate that water based extracts of Labisia pumila sbsamrah@kb.usm.my var. alata do not pose any significant reproductive toxicity or complication in pregnancy and delivery in rats. The extract did not significantly alter the duration of pregnancy in rats, however the duration of delivery was not evaluated in this study.

Objective: To detect potential adverse effects of aqueous extract of Labisia pumila var. alata (LPE) or `Kacip Fatimah' on the estrous cycle, reproductive performance, post-natal growth and offspring survival of rats. Department of Pharmacology, Materials and Methods: Forty eight (48) female Sprague Dawley rats with consecutive School of Medical Sciences, 4 to 6 days estrous cycle were given distilled water (as control) or LPE at 2, 20, 200, 400 *School of Health Sciences, or 800 mg/kg daily by gavaging ten days prior to mating, mating (a maximum period of Universiti Sains Malaysia Health ten days), gestation and lactation periods of seven days. Dams and fetuses were sacrificed Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, on day seven postnatal. Kelantan, Malaysia Results: Labisia pumila extracts did not alter the estrous cycle and general health of all

In this study, the extract of Ocimum tenuiflorum was formulated to promote wound healing and no acute toxicity study has been reported on this type of formulation. Acute oral toxicity results of the rats after administration of 5000 mg/kg body weight (BW) formulation showed no toxic effects and behavioural changes of the rats after 14 days of observation. On day 14, the rats were anaesthetized to collect the vital organs for histopathological examination. The microscopy study of the visceral organs of wound healing powder group shows no sign of toxicity in comparison to untreated rats organs. In conclusion, the result of the acute oral toxicity test of wound healing drink showed no sign of toxicity, as corroborated by a histopathological study.

The objectives of this study were to determine LD50 and establish the safety of ink squid and cuttlefish hydrolysates. In the acute toxicity study, three groups of female rats were randomly assigned. One group served as the control and two groups orally received a single limiting dose (2000 mg/kg body weight) of ink hydrolysates. There were no signs of adverse toxicity observed in behavioural patterns, clinical signs, and no significant differences (p>0.05) between the control and treated rats regarding their food and water consumption and body weight for up to 14 days. The histopathological evaluation revealed a normal structure and the absence of noticeable lesions in the vital organs of treated animals. It can be concluded that LD50 value is greater than 2000 mg/kg. The results showed that the squid ink powder enzyme hydrolysate (SIPEHs) and cuttlefish ink powder enzyme hydrolysate (CIPEHs) possess low toxicity, as indicated in the rat model. The preliminary results suggested that it should be further evaluated for long-term use and repeated dose effects to support the safe use of these hydrolysates.