A Study on Single Dose Toxicity of Mecasin Pharmacopuncture Injection in Muscle

Objectives: This study was carried out to analyze the single dose toxicity of Mecasin(Gami-Jakyak Gamcho buja Decoction) pharmacopuncture in muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: All experiments were performed at the Medvill, an institution acknowledged to conduct non-clinical studies, under the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen in this pilot study. The reason Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen is that they have been widely used in safety test in the field of medicine, so the results can be easily compared with many other databases. Doses of Mecasin pharmacopuncture, 0, 500, 1,000, and 2,000mg/kg, were registered to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 10 ml/kg, was registered to the control group. Mecasin pharmacopuncture and normal saline were injected into the thigh of the rats by disposable syringes at intervals of six hours twice a day. This study was performed under the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethic Committee. Results: There is no death or abnormality 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 inspect 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 outcomes suggest that treatment with Mecasin pharmacopuncture is relatively safe. Further evaluations and studies on this subject are needed to prove more concrete evidence.