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Brown Coal Derived Humate Inhibits Contact Hypersensitivity; An Efficacy, Toxicity and Teratogenicity Study in Rats

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Abstract

Objectives

The effects of two humate products were compared to that of prednisolone on a contact hypersensitivity rat model.

Methods

Rats, sensitized with dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), were placed on a daily oral treatment of 61 mg/kg BW of humate derived from either leonardite or bituminous coal or on prednisolone at one mg/kg BW and challenged 6 days later with a topical application of DNFB to the right ear. The inflamed ears were measured daily. In a toxicity study rats were exposed to daily oral treatment of leonardite humate at 1,000 mg/kg BW for 1 month. A teratogenicity study was done where pregnant rats were treated with 500 mg/kg BW on days 5 to 17 of pregnancy.

Results

Only the leonardite humate compared favourably with prednisolone in suppressing contact hypersensitivity. No signs of toxicity were observed and weight gain was normal during the 6-day and 1 month treatments and during the teratogenicity study with the leonardite humate. However, the rats on the other two products experienced slower weight gain.

Conclusion

The identification of a naturally occurring nontoxic compound with anti-inflammatory activity is exciting and merits further evaluation in the treatment of patients suffering from inflammatory conditions.

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Abbreviations

DNFB:

dinitro fluorobenzene

BW:

body weight

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    C. E. J. Van Rensburg, J. R. Snyman, T. Mokoele & A. D. Cromarty

Authors
  1. C. E. J. Van Rensburg
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  2. J. R. Snyman
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  3. T. Mokoele
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  4. A. D. Cromarty
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Correspondence to C. E. J. Van Rensburg.

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Van Rensburg, C.E.J., Snyman, J.R., Mokoele, T. et al. Brown Coal Derived Humate Inhibits Contact Hypersensitivity; An Efficacy, Toxicity and Teratogenicity Study in Rats. Inflammation 30, 148–152 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-007-9031-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-007-9031-5

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