Evaluation of in vivo safety of inhibitory compounds from Cheongmoknosang mulberry leaves against Helicobacter pylori

Biological compounds (caffeic acid, rosemarinic acid, and chlorogenic acid) from mulberry leaf extracts were administered to mice in order to confirm their stability. All male and female mice survived upon a 4,000 mg/g dose in an acute toxicity test, and they also survived after injection of 2,000 mg/kg for 13 weeks repeatedly. Therefore, the level of toxicity was not high. In a comparison of the control and test groups, there were no significant differences upon naked eye inspection, and the weights of stomachs infected by Helicobacter pylori were not significantly different. Regarding the effects on immune cells, NO of macrophages decreased more than that of control when medicine was administered. The spleens of the female mice group proliferated slightly in LPS and Con A within 48 hr, whereas the other test group showed a similar level and the cell toxicity of natural killing cells decreased. Therefore, we concluded that caffeic acid, rosemarinic acid, and chlorogenic acid from mulberry leaf extracts are not harmful for the treatment of infected patients the development as a healthy functional food.