Acute Toxicity Evaluation in vivo of the Natural Anthraquinones

COMINI, L.; FERNANDEZ, I.; NUÑEZ MONTOYA, S.; CABRERA, J.; RIVAROLA, V.

Buenos Aires. Argentina

Otro; BIOCELL (2009): VOL. 33 (2), PP. 204.; 2009

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

Rubiadin (1) and soranjidiol (2), are anthraquinones (AQs) isolated from the phototoxic plant Heterophyllaea pustulata, which exhibits photosensitizers properties, with the ability to produce both singlet oxygen and/or superoxide anion under radiation condition. An important research line studies photosensitizers compounds and their potential uses in photodynamic therapy, oriented mainly in antitumoral therapy. Regarding these antecedents we evaluated the photodynamic activity of these AQs in vitro against a human breast carcinoma cell line, obtaining satisfactory results. Therefore, the next step would be to evaluate their photodynamic activity in vivo. In this work, the objective was to study the acute toxicity of 1 and 2 on different organs, in order to establish the non toxic dose, which is necessary for future phototherapeutic studies in vivo that evaluate the tumor rejection when AQs are administered under irradiation conditions. Acute toxicity was evaluated by means of histopathology test of kidney, liver, spleen and skin tissues. These organs were obtained from the Balb/c female mice at 1, 2 and 7 days after the intraperitoneal injection of three concentrations of each AQ and from the control animals. The obtained results demonstrated that 1 and 2 to proven doses, not caused permanent alterations in the structural properties of these tissues compared with the control animals. Therefore, these AQs would be used in phototherapeutic studies.