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. 2009 Jun 1;25(2):101–106. doi: 10.5487/TR.2009.25.2.101

Subacute Oral Toxicity Study of a New Type of Cordyceps, Paecilomyces sinclairii, in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Seung Jun Kwack 16, Byung Mu Lee 26,✉
PMCID: PMC7006264  PMID: 32038826

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the 2 week-oral toxicity of Paecilomyces sinclairii in Sprague-Dawley rats. P. sinclairii was daily administered to male and female rats for 2 weeks with different dose levels (0, 0.008, 0.04, 0.2, 1 and 5 g/kg). There were no clinical signs compared with control group, but a slight increase of white blood cell (WBC) was observed in the males rats receiving all dose levels of P. sinclairii. In biohematological analysis, the levels of glucose and cholesterol in the blood were decreased slightly in the males and females rats at doses of 0.008 or 1 g/kg. At the all dose groups, there were no significant changes in the body weights, but autopsy findings of all organs showed reduced weights in the thymus of males in the high dose groups of 1 g/kg and 5 g/kg. These results indicate that P. sinclairii does not induce any significant toxic effect on Sprague-Dawley rats treated for 2 weeks, but the reduced weights of thymus in males may require a further long-term investigation.

Key words: 2 week-oral toxicity, Paecilomyces sinclairii, Sprague-Dawley rats

Abbreviations

RBC

red blood cell count

Hb

hemoglobin concentration

Ht

hematocrit

MCV

mean corpuscular volume

MCHC

mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

PLT

platelets

WBC

white blood cell count

TP

total protein

ALB

albumin

GLU

glucose

T.Chol

total cholesterol

T.Bil

total bilirubin

GGT

γ-glutamyl transferase

GPT

glutamate pyruvate transaminase

GOT

glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase

ALP

alkaline phosphatase

BUN

blood urea nitrogen

CRN

creatinine

CPK

creatine phophokinase

Na

sodium

K

potassium

CI

chloride

Ca

calcium

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