Evaluation of toxicity after one-months treatment with <it>Bauhinia forficata </it>decoction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous experiments have shown that a decoction of <it>Bauhinia forficata </it>leaves reduces the changes in carbohydrate and protein metabolism that occur in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In the present inv...
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BMC,
2004-06-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous experiments have shown that a decoction of <it>Bauhinia forficata </it>leaves reduces the changes in carbohydrate and protein metabolism that occur in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In the present investigation, the serum activities of enzymes known to be reliable toxicity markers were monitored in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats to discover whether the use of <it>B. forficata </it>decoction has toxic effects on liver, muscle or pancreas tissue or on renal microcirculation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An experimental group of normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats received an aqueous decoction of fresh <it>B. forficata </it>leaves (150 g/L) by mouth for 33 days while a control group of normal and diabetic rats received water for the same length of time. The serum activity of the toxicity markers lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, amylase, angiotensin-converting enzyme and bilirubin were assayed before receiving <it>B. forficata </it>decoction and on day 19 and 33 of treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The toxicity markers in normal and diabetic rats were not altered by the diabetes itself nor by treatment with decoction. Whether or not they received <it>B. forficata </it>decoction the normal rats showed a significant increase in serum amylase activity during the experimental period while there was a tendency for the diabetic rats, both treated and untreated with decoction, to have lower serum amylase activities than the normal rats.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Administration of an aqueous decoction of <it>B. forficata </it>is a potential treatment for diabetes and does not produce toxic effects measurable with the enzyme markers used in our study.</p> |
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| Item Description: | 10.1186/1472-6882-4-7 1472-6882 |