Toxicologic evaluation of injectable acemannan in the mouse, rat and dog.

Acemannan, the USAN-accepted name for long-chain polydispersed beta-(1,4)-acetylated polymannose with interspersed 0-acetyl groups with a mannose monomer/acetyl ratio of approximately 1:1 and extracted from Aloe vera (barbadensis Miller), was administered as a 1.0 mg/ml solution to mice, rats and dogs, either as single dose or repeated at 4-d intervals for 8 doses by iv or ip routes. No significant signs of intoxication and no deaths occurred in animals treated with the single injection of acemannan at dosages of 80 mg/kg iv or 200 mg/kg ip in mice, 15 mg/kg iv or 50 mg/kg ip in rats, and 10 mg/kg iv or 50 mg/kg ip in dogs. On repeated injections systemic toxicity was limited to obvious transient discomfort that appeared dose related. There was accumulation of macrophages and monocytes without subsequent inflammatory reaction in lungs of the iv-treated animals, and in liver and spleen and on peritoneal surfaces of ip-treated animals. The effects were not considered adverse, but were consistent with the known immune stimulating activity of acemannan. A few deaths occurred in mice and rats that were suggestive of resulting from improper injection or sequella of necrosis of the injection site. The NOAELs for acemannan determined from these repeated injection studies were 20 mg/kg iv or ip in the mouse, 4.0 mg/kg iv and 50 mg/kg ip in the rat, and 1.0 mg/kg iv in dogs; 5.0 mg acemannan/kg ip in the dog was considered to be LOAEL, based on the emesis and abdominal discomfort induced.