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PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES - TOXICOLOGY - DRUG INTERACTIONS

Bupleurum chinense (Chinese Thoroughwax)

The saikosaponins in Radix Bupleuri are mainly responsible for its medicinal activities.
Saikosaponin A has been found to improve hepatic antioxidant capacity by increasing hepatic
superoxide dismutase activity and total glutathione level. Saikosaponin A suppressed
inflammation and fibrogenesis in chemically induced liver injury by reducing collagen deposition,
inhibiting nuclear factor-kappa B expression and by increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine
interleukin-10 (Wu et al., 2010). Saikosaponin A has also demonstrated hepatoprotective effects
by attenuating hepatic lipids and lipid peroxidation and enhancing antioxidant defence (Wu et
al., 2008). Saikosaponins also exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting arachidonic acid
metabolism in vitro and in vivo (Bermejo et al., 1998).

Toxicity for Radix Bupleuri has not been documented in dogs and cats when administered orally in therapeutic
doses. Aqueous extract of Radix Bupleuri did not show any toxic effects in rats and mice at oral doses of 6 g/kg
TOXICOLOGY for essential oil of Radix Bupleuri, and 1.906 g/kg of body weight for saikosaponin, an active constituent of Radix
of body weight (Mills & Bone, 2000). The LD in mice is 1.19 g/kg of body weight via intraperitoneal injection
50

Bupleuri (Chen & Chen, 2004).

Equivalent toxic dose in 20 kg dog: 38 g IP of saikosaponin.
Equivalent toxic dose in 5 kg cat: 9.5 g IP of saikosaponin.

DRUG Validated interactions studies do not exist for Radix Bupleuri preparations. Clinical interactions
INTERACTIONS with other drugs have not been reported.

6 | Hepato -VM TM