WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

<strong>WHO</strong> <strong>monographs</strong> on selected medicinal plants
Immunological effects
Berberine inhibited the proliferation of mouse spleen cells induced by T-
dependent mitogens (concanavalin A) and phytohaemagglutinin. Spleen
cells were obtained from mice treated with berberine at a dose of 10.0 mg/
kg bw for 3 days (38).
Intragastric administration of an extract of the cortex to rats for 6 weeks
increased production of antigen-specific immunoglobulin M (59). Intraperitoneal
administration of berberine to mice, at a daily dose of 10.0 mg/
kg bw for 3 days before the induction of tubulointerstitial nephritis, significantly
(p = 0.001) reduced pathological injury and improved renal
function, as well as decreasing the number of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+
T-lymphocytes as compared with controls (60).
Miscellaneous activity
Intraperitoneal administration of 150.0 mg/kg bw of cyclophosphamide
caused serious haemorrhagic cystitis in rats after 12 hr, including bladder
oedema, haemorrhage and dramatic elevation of nitric oxide metabolites
in urine and in plasma. Rats were pretreated with one or two doses of
berberine at 50.0, 100.0 or 200.0 mg/kg bw intraperitoneally then challenged
with cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). The results
indicated that pretreatment of rats with berberine reduced cyclophosphamide-induced
cystitis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore,
two doses of berberine showed greater protection against cyclophosphamide
urotoxicity than a single dose. In addition, a single dose of 200.0 mg/
kg bw berberine, or two doses of 100.0 and two doses of 200.0 mg/kg bw
berberine could completely block cyclophosphamide-induced bladder
oedema and haemorrhage, as well as the increase in nitric oxide metabolites
in rat urine and plasma (61).
Toxicology
The oral median lethal dose of berberine in mice was 329 mg/kg bw (62).
Oral administration of berberine (2.75 g) to dogs produced severe gastrointestinal
irritation, profuse watery diarrhoea, salivation, muscular tremors
and paralysis. Respiration was not affected. Postmortem analysis of the
intestines found them to be contracted, inflamed, and empty or containing
mucous and watery fluid. An oral dose of 25.0 mg/kg bw of berberine sulfate
induced depression lasting for 6 to 8 hours; 50 mg/kg bw caused salivation
and sporadic emesis. A dose of 100.0 mg/kg bw induced persistent
emesis and death of all animals 8–10 days later (62). Pretreatment of rodents
with a single oral dose of berberine (4.0 mg/kg bw) induced prolongation
of the pentobarbital (60 mg/kg bw, intraperitoneally)-induced
sleeping time as well as increased strychnine (0.3 mg/kg bw, intraperiton-
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