Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the single-dose intravenous toxicity of Guseonwangdo-go glucose 5% pharmacopuncture (GWG5). METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of five males and five females per group: an intravenous (IV) injection of 1.0 mL of normal saline solution per animal was administered to the control group; IV injections of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mL of GWG5 per animal were administered to the experimental groups (G: 0.1, G: 0.5, and G: 1.0). Observation of clinical signs and body weight measurements were carried out for 14 days following the injections. At the end of the observation period, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological tests, as well as necropsy examinations, were performed on the injected parts. RESULTS: No mortalities or adverse clinical signs were observed in any of the groups. The body weights of all groups continuously increased. In the hematological and the biochemical tests, females in G-0.1 had minimal changes, but those changes were not dose dependent. On necropsy examination, no abnormalities were observed. In the histopathological test, focal inflammatory cell infiltrations were observed in two female rats, one in the control group and one in G-1.0. Also, one female rat in the control group had an epidermis crust. These changes were concluded to have been caused by the insertion of the needle into a vein. CONCLUSION: The above findings suggest that the lethal dose of GWG5 administered via IV injection is more than 1.0 mL per animal in both male and female rats. Further studies are needed to establish more detailed evidence of its toxicity.