Anti-inflammatory activity of some Iraqi plants using intact rats.

Five plants (Myrtus communis, Apium graveolens, Matricaria chamomilla, Withania somnifera and Achillea santolina) grown in Iraq were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity on intact rats by measuring the suppression of carrageenan-induced paw edema produced by 1/10 of the intraperitoneal LD50 doses for the respective 80% ethanol extracts. Acetylsalicylic acid was used as the standard drug. Results showed that the plants possessed varying degrees of anti-inflammatory activity and were classified in the following descending order of activity: W. somnifera greater than A. graveolens greater than A. santolina greater than M. chamomilla greater than M. communis.

Toxicologic and histopathologic studies of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom in mice.

The edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus (with locally reported toxic properties) was identified and collected 1-4 days after raining in the city of Baghdad. It was freshly extracted with distilled water at room temperature. Both oral and intraperitoneal routes were used for acute and subacute toxicity studies on mice. In spite of important toxicologic signs and findings on treated animals, the estimated 24-h LD50 values exceeded 3 g/kg for both routes of administration. However, the 30-day LD50 values were 319 mg/kg for oral and 1143 mg/kg for i.p. administration. Gross examination of the dissected organs revealed marked haemorrhages in the intestine, liver, lung and the kidney. Histopathologic examination revealed significant changes mainly in the liver, which took the form of inflammation and microabscesses. The present results were consistent with clinical findings available after human and animal ingestion of this mushroom in Iraq.