Abstract
Presteron (PS) is an anti-inflammatory drug. It was reported that PS had no side effects like steroids on oral administration and intramuscular injection in human. The purpose of this study was to compare the subacute toxicity of PS with a general steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone (Dex) in rat.
21 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups with 7 rats in each. The rats were injected subcutaneously for 14 days in each 0.1mL/100g body weight/day with: a control solution (saline contained CMC and Tween20), CT group; a control solution containing 16mg/mL PS, PS group; a control solution containing 0.1mg/mL Dex, Dex group.
CT group and PS group showed no difference in behavior and body weight of rats, but Dex group revealed significantly marked suppression of increasing body weight. In blood test Dex group showed significant increase of erythrocyte, hemoglobin, hematocrit. In histological Dex group was demonstrated markedly degenerative changes, but no marked change was observed with PS group.
It was indicated that Dex yields the typical steroidal side effects such as marked atrophy in adrenal gland, spleen and thymus. On the other hand, it was concluded that PS systemically exhibits no adverse effect like steroids on administration of about 20-fold clinical dose for 14 days.
