Investigation of the Toxicity of Heparinoid SP-54, Sulphurated Polysaccharide of Low Molecular Weight

Abstract

A comparative study has been carried out of acute and chronic toxicities of heparin and heparinoid SP-54 in mice, rats and rabbits. All animals were kept on standard pellet diets during the course of the experiments.
1. The LD 50 of heparinoid SP-54 was 5.10mg/lOg of body weight when the drug was subcutaneously injected in mice.
2. Tissues of rats killed after subcutaneous injection of heparinoid SP-54 were examined in their acute pathological changes macro- as well as microscopically. In most cases hemorrhagic -edema was found in liver, lung and spleen, but not in other tissues. Some animals showed intraperitoneal bleeding. These findings were remarkable in rats given the drug in doses of 40mg and 100mg/100g of body weight.
3. Heparinoid SP-54 prolonged blood coagulation time in rabbits given intravenously in dose of 10mg/kg. The effect was less than that of heparin in the same dose.
4. Chronic toxicities of heparinoid SP-54 and heparin were compared in rats given the drug subcutaneously in doses of 1mg and 2mg/100g of body weight once a week for 13 weeks. The body weight gain curves of rats were investigated during the prolonged administration of the drug. These curves showed that administration of the drug did not cause any significant difference from control rats. By microscopic examination, however, hemorrhagic tendency was. found in lung and spleen of rats given in dose of 2mg/100g of heparin or heparinoid SP-54.