Study of acute toxicity of an unani medicine used in dysentery

Abstract

Marbelus is an Unani Medicine of unique combination of Bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit and Connessi (Holarrhena antidysenterica) bark, which is highly effective in diarrhoea, dysentery (Amoebic & Bacillary dysentery), giardiasis and helminthiasis. However, toxicity study of the Marbelus syrup is still lacking. The present study is to investigate the acute toxicity of Marbelus Syrup extract on Sprague Dawley rats at a dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight (BW). Sighting study was conducted in a stepwise procedure using the fixed doses of 5, 50, 300 and 2000 mg/kg BW. No signs of toxicity and no deaths were observed. Based on the sighting study, we selected a dose of 2000 mg/kg BW and observed for 14 days. The study includes control and treatment group, each consisting of 5 female rats. The single oral dose of the Marbelus syrup did not produce mortality or significant changes in the body weight, food and water consumption. In the female rats there was significant (p=0.045) increase (16.40%) in total protein where albumin content was increased (1.56%) but not significantly (p=0.458) different from their corresponding control values. The decrease in urea content (0.80% decrease; p=0.691) & uric acid content was decreased by (12.54%; p=0.203) which was not statistically significant. The increase in both HDL cholesterol content (10.13% increase; p=0.46) & total cholesterol content (14.89% increase; p=0.23) was not statistically significant. It was observed that about 13.44% increase in triglyceride content of treated female rats in comparison to their control female rats which was statistically significant(p=0.030). However, total proteins were significantly increased indicating dehydration. Apart from triglyceride, other biochemistry parameters demonstrated no significant changes as compared to the control.