Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the antitoxic component in ethanol extract of Saururus chinesis (S. chinesis). The results were as follows: Generally, detoxication effects by s. chinesis extract increased in proportion to the extract concentration. non 8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g dosage of S. chinesis extract was administered, it showed the highest antitoxic effects in metallothionein induction. After the extract treatment, body weights generally increased In proportion to the extract concentrations. from the above results, S. chinesis extract Increased Metallothionein concentration and decreased the toxicity of cadmium In rats. In vitro the antitoxic activity of ethanol extract of S. chinesis on NIH3T3 fibroblasts was evaluated by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) and SRB (sulforhodamine B protein) assays. The light microscopic study was carried out to observe morphological changes of the treeated cells. $10^{-2}$mg/ml Concentrations of S. chinesis extract was shown significant antitoxic activity. The number of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were increased and tend to regenerate. These result suggest that S. chinesis extract retains a potential antitoxic activity.