Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to analyze the single dose toxicity of ShinEumHur (SEH) pharmacopuncture injected into the muscles of Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: The SEH pharmacopuncture was made in a clean room at the Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (K-GMP). After the mixing process with sterile distilled water had been completed, the pH was controlled to between 7.0 and 7.5. All experiments were conducted at Biotoxtech, an institution authorized to perform non-clinical studies under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen for the pilot study. Doses of SEH pharmacopuncture, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mL, were administered to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 1.0 mL, was administered to the control group. We examined the survival rate, weights, clinical signs, mean hematology parameters, mean clinical chemistry, necropsy and histopathological findings. This study was conducted under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. RESULTS: No deaths or abnormalities occurred in any of the four groups. No significant changes in weight, hematological parameters or clinical chemistry between the control group and the experimental groups were observed. To check for abnormalities in organs and tissues, we used microscopy to examine representative histological sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences in any of the organs or tissues. CONCLUSION: The above findings suggest that treatment with SEH pharmacopuncture is relatively safe. Further studies on this subject are needed to yield more concrete evidence.