Experimental Study on Toxicological Interaction of Ingredients in Sini Decoction / 中国中医药信息杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective The toxicological compatibility of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix, as a toxic Chinese medicinal herb, combined with the other ingredients in Sini Decoction was investigated to elucidate the rationality of the combination of the ingredients in Sini Decoction from toxicological point of view. Methods Three kinds of experiments, acute toxicity in mice, heart toxicity in rats and aconitines level in water extract of Sini Decoction and its ingredients including Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone and its combination with licorice or dried ginger were adopted in this study. In the toxicological experiments, LD50 values for the acute toxicity test and TD50 values for the heart toxicity (arrhythemia as a parameter) of Sini Decoction, Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone and its combination with licorice or dried ginger were comparatively determined. And levels of individual aconitines of the water extracts from Sini Decoction, Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone and its combination with licorice or dried ginger were measured, respectively. Results The LD50 and TD50 of the combination of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix and licorice in Sini Decoction were found to be higher than Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone or Sini Decoction, while the LD50 and TD50 of the combination of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix and dried ginger appeared to be not different from those of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone. The level of the main toxic compound of the water extracts for the combination of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix and licorice, and Sini Decoction was lower than that of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix alone and its combination with dried ginger. Conclusion The combination of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix and licorice can attenuate the toxicity of Aconiti Carmichaeli Radix.