Acute oral toxicity (LD50)‎ and target organ effects of locally made chitosan and chitosan-indomethacin conjugate in mice

Abstract EN

Chitosan which is a deacetylated chitin has a wide medical and pharmaceutical applications beingprepared in a previous study in our laboratory and being modified to form a covalently linked chitosan-indomethacin conjugate for the sake of formulation of a sustained release indomethacin capsules.

Chitosan alone and chitosan-indomethacin conjugate were both being tested for their acute toxicity in mice.

The animals were observed for signs of reaction and a post mortem examination was performed in mice, which were given chitosan orally, no death has been observed during the first 24 hours or during the rest of the observation periods, while mice which were given chitosan-indomethacin conjugate, the mortality seems to is dose related.

It was 60 % at a dose of 5 g/Kg and increased to 80 % and 100 % at 7.5 g/Kg and 10 Gj Kg respectively.

U) 50 for chitosan-indomethacin conjugate was found to be 4.8 gj Kg.

Other criteria examined in addition to mortality include body weight, diet and water consumption and organs (liver, large and small intestine, kidney) gross and by histopathology.

There were no noticeable changes in these criteria after the administration of chitosan alone or chitosan-indomethacin conjugate compared to control groups.

Chitosan and chitosan-indomethacin conjugate prepared locally in our laboratory are safe enough to be used in pharmaceutical formulations.