Studies of the Pharmacology and Toxicology of Spirulina Maxima (SMNJU.02)

Abstract

The effects of Spirulina maxima (SMNJU.02) on pharmacological and toxicological tests in mice and rats were investigated. S. maxima (SMNJU.02) dose-dependently enhanced the immunological functions and reduced the level of serum lipids, without producing adverse effects. When mice were orally treated with S. maxima (SMNJU.02) at a concentration ranging from 0.5-1.0 g/kg body weight, significant differences in the rate of carbon clearance and foot hone plate swelling were observed, and the Immoral immunity was significantly increased. The white blood corpuscle (WBC) count, the level of DNA in bone marrow, the coefficient of spleen, and the number of colony forming unit of spleen surface in the mice with leucocytopenia caused by cyclophosphamide or Co-60-gamma were significantly increased when SMNJU.02 (1.0 g/kg body weight) was taken orally. After the treatment with SMNJU.02 (0.5-1.0 g/kg body weight), the arteriosclerosis indexes, the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in the serum of hyperlipaemia rats induced by hyperliposis food were lower, but the serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) level was higher than in rats without SMNJU.02 in their diet. The SMNJU.02 (1.5-4.5 g/kg body weight) ingestion had no effect on behavior, food and water intake, growth or survival after 90-day treatment and the terminal values in hematology and clinical chemistry did not reveal significant differences compared with the control group. These results support the potential health protective role of SMNJU.02.