Traditional medicine and herbal remedies are gaining popularity worldwide, comprising a significant portion of healthcare research, advancements, and market demand. Growing scientific evidence supports their substantial efficacy as pharmaceutical ingredients and dietary supplements in preventive healthcare. When developing pharmaceuticals, it is crucial to ensure that ingredients are free from side effects and toxicity in order to prioritize safety. Geckos, known as shou gong, are a diverse group of lizards that are widely utilized for treating various diseases in Korean Medicine. This study was conducted to assess the potential acute toxicity of a water extract Gekko gecko by a single oral dose in Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty rats of each sex were randomly assigned to four groups (5 rats each). Test articles were administrated once by oral gavage to rats at dose levels of 0, 500, 1,000, or 2,000 mg/kg body weight. Mortality, changes of body weight, and clinical signs of gross observation were monitored for 14 days after dosing. At the end of a 14-day observation period, all animals were sacrificed and complete macroscopic and hematological examinations were performed. There was no dead animal or test article-related effect on clinical signs, body weight, or gross finding. Other specific changes were not found between control and treated groups in hematology. Results showed no adverse effect at a dose of 500, 1,000, or 2,000 mg/kg in rats. The minimal lethal dose was considered to be over 2,000 mg/kg body weight in rats.

Collagen peptides have garnered significant attention as functional foods across multiple fields due to their capacity to regulate physiological and hormonal processes, offering numerous advantages. However, despite their broad range of applications, comprehensive research on the potential toxicity of these substances remains lacking. Therefore, this study sought to assess the acute oral toxicity of a collagen peptide derived from skate (Raja kenojei) skin (CPSS) in both rats and dogs. In the rat model, CPSS was orally administered at doses of 300 and 2,000 mg/kg to Sprague-Dawley rats. An escalating single-dose oral toxicity assessment at doses of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg was carried out in beagle dogs with 3-day intervals between doses. Throughout the 14-day post-administration assessment period, clinical signs, mortality rates, changes in body weight, and necropsy observations were closely monitored. After oral administration, no signs of toxicity associated with CPSS were observed in either rats or dogs. Therefore, the oral LD50 (approximate lethal dose for 50% mortality) for CPSS in rats was determined to exceed 5,000 mg/kg, and the maximum tolerated dose for dogs was estimated to be above 2,000 mg/kg. Consequently, this study offers safety data on the use of CPSS in functional foods and medicinal applications.

The six polysaccharide fractions were prepared by chromatographic procedure from the hot water extractsof the aboveground parts of Astragalus membranaceus. These six polysaccharides from aboveground parts of Astragalusmembranaceus Bunge were tested for gut-mucosal immune activity and acute toxicity. In a view of molecular weight, the sixfractions were estimated to be 75000, 88000, 129000 and 345000 Da, respectively. Component sugar analysis indicated thatthese fractions were mainly consisted of galactose (46.3~11.8%) and arabinose (35.4~9.9%) in addition to glucose,rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid. Among the six major purifiedpolysaccharides, AMA-1-b-PS2 showed highest bone merrow cell proliferation and lymphocyte of Peyer's patch stimulatingactivity. It may be concluded that intestinal immune system modulating activity of aboveground parts from Astragalusmembranaceus Bunge is caused by polysaccharides having a polygalacturonan moiety with neutral sugars such as arabinoseand galactose. In single oral dose toxicity study, no differences were observed between control and treated groups in clinicalsigns. The results indicated that lethal dose 50 (LD50) of water extracts from Astragalus membranaceus-aboveground partswas found to be higher than 5000㎎/㎏/day in this experiment. From the above results, we may suggest that Astragalusmembranaceus-aboveground parts might have useful as a safe material for functional food and pharmaceutics.

국내육성 벼 주요품종 중 오봉벼, 일품벼 및 아랑향찰벼 과피의 단회 경구투여에 의한 독성을 관찰하기 위하여, 동물체중 당 2.5 g, 5.0 g 및 10.0 g의 용량으로 암수 각각 10마리씩 ICR계 마우스에 1회 경구투여한 후 14일간 실험동물의 사망률, 일반증상, 체중변화, 부검소견 및 혈액 생화학적 분석을 수행하였다. 1. 모든 시험물질의 최대 투여가능용량인 10.0 g/kg 투여시 암수 모든 동물군의 사망 예는 관찰되지 않았고, 또한 그 이하의 시료 투여군에서도 사망동물은 없었으며, 시험물질 투여 후 나타내는 외관상의 이상증상도 확인되지 않았다. 2. 실험동물의 체중 변화는 암수 모두에서 시일이 경과함에 따라 체중 증가가 일시적으로 억제되는 경향을 나타냈으나 시험물질 투여군과 대조군간의 유의성 있는 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 3. 시료투여 14일 후 치사된 동물의 장기를 관찰한 결과, 암수 모든 실험군의 간장, 신장, 비장, 심장, 폐 및 뇌에서 시험물질 투여에 따른 어떤 육안적 이상 소견도 발견되지 않았다. 4. 혈액생화학적 검사 결과, ALT와 AST 활성도가 모든시료 투여군에서 정상수치를 나타냈으며, 10.0 g/kg 1회 경구 투여한 모든 실험군의 경우에도 정상 수치를 나타내는 것으로 보아, 고품질 우리 쌀인 오봉벼, 일품벼 및 아랑향찰 벼 과피 추출물을 고용량으로 투여 시에도 간 기능에 어떠한 독성도 나타내지 않음을 확인할 수 있었다. 5. 오봉벼, 일품벼 및 아랑향찰벼 과피 추출물에 대한 급성 경구 독성시험에서 상기의 일반상태, 체중변화 및 부검소견 등에 별다른 독성이 관찰되지 않았으며, 최대투여 가능용량인 10.0 g/kg에서도 사망 예가 발견되지 않았다. 따라서 암수 마우스에 대한 경구 LD50치는 최대 투여가능 용량인 10.0 g/kg 이상으로 평가되었다. 따라서 본 시험 결과, 오봉벼, 일품벼 및 아랑향찰벼 과피 EtOH 추출물은 투여가능 최대용량에서도 독성이 없는 안전한 식품임을 확인하였고, 건강증진에 도움을 주는 기능성 식품소재로서의 개발 가능성을 예측할 수 있었으며, 고용량으로도 임상사용이 가능함을 확인할 수 있었다.