Effect of Serratula Coronata Extract on Apoptosis Activity in Rats

Abstract

Phytoecdysteroids (at doses of 5 and 15 mg/kg of body mass per day) in the aqueous extract of Serratula coronata L. were administered toWistar rats for 15 d, did not have adverse effects on the thymus, and did not increase apoptosis rat in heart, brain, and thymus cells. The apoptosis rate in thymus cells of animals exposed to an electric shock increased statistically significantly relative to intact controls. The thymus mass did not decrease statistically significantly in stressed rats that received the phytoecdysteroid extract as compared with stressed animals that did not receive it. The apoptosis rate characterized by the DNA-damage level and number of apoptotic cells was also diminished in the thymus of stressed rats that received the extract. The results confirmed the safety of using phytoecdysteroid extracts in food and indicated that this extract inhibited the general adaptation syndrome of the rats.