PFARMACOLOGIC ACTIVITY OF QUASSIA-AMARA ( SIMARUBACEAE) AQUEOUS WOOD EXTRACT ON ALBINO-RATS AND MICE

All the assays were done with an aqueous preparation of dry wood from Quassia amara (Simarubaceae). For the hippocratic assay, 12 female SDN rats were used, with an average weight of 144 g and separated in thre e groups of four individuals each. The dose used were 500 mg/kg and 1 000 mg/kg and the control group received 0.5 mi of destilled water. Th e extract administration and the observation of the animals were done daily during nine days. Acute toxicity of the preparation was studied with 25 male NGP mice with an average weight of 20.13 g, in groups of five individuals per dose. The oral administration was carry out with the following doses: 250, 500, 750 and 1 000 mg/kg, the control group received 0.5 mi of destilled water. No sign of acute toxicity was obse rved at any dose. For the toxicity analysis via intraperitoneal inyect ion 15 male NGP mice were assigned to five groups (5 animals each) wit h doses of 500 and 1 000 mg/kg and a control group with 0.5 mi of dest illed water. The group with the dose of 500 mg/kg, presented acute tox icity signs with a 24 hr recovery, and the 1 000 mg/kg dose was letal to a 100% within 24 hr. The measuring of the peristaltic activity (mov ement of the intestinal content) were performed on 30 NGP male mice wi th an average weight of 22 g assigned to three groups of ten individua ls each. One dose of 500 mg/kg and I 000 mg/kg were orally administrat ed to each experimental group and 0.5 mi of destilled water to the con trol group. The marker used was activated carbon, orally supplied to e very mice 30 min after the administration of the aqueous extract The a nimals are decapitated and the measurement of the carbon motion in the small intestine was done after 30 min. Both dose increased the intest inal movement compared to the control group, but only the 1 000 mg/kg dose showed a statistically significant difference (p less than or equ al to 0.05).