Hepatic Protective Effect and Single-dose Toxicity Study of Water Extract of Cordyceps militaris Grown upon Protaetia dreujtarsis

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the single dose toxicity and the protective effect of water extract of Cordyceps militaris grown upon Protaetia dreujtarsis (CMPD extract) on liver damage on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- induced acute hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The CMPD extract was once administered orally to both sexes of rats at dose of 2,000, 1,000 and 500 mg/kg body weight, the recommended maximum limit dose for acute toxicity. Neither significant toxic signs nor death was observed during the observation period. These results indicate that LD 50 (lethal dose of 50%) of CMPD extract is greater than 2,000 mg/kg body weight in SD rats. To investigate also the effect of hepatoprotection of CMPD extract, SD rats were orally treated with CMPD extract (50, 25 and 12.5 mg/kg body weight) or silymarin (25 mg/kg body weight) before and after administration of CCl4 (2 mL/kg body weight, 20% CCl4 in olive oil). Treatment with CMPD extract or silymarin could decrease the GPT (glutamic-pyruvic transaminase) and GOT (glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase) levels in serum when compared with CCl4-treated group. Therefore, the results of this study show that CMPD extract can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl 4 -induced hepatic damage in rats.