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The influence of long‐term Aloe vera ingestion on age‐related disease in male Fischer 344 rats
Author(s) -
Ikeno Yuji,
Hubbard Gene B.,
Lee Shuko,
Yu Byung Pal,
Herlihy Jeremiah T.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.1022
Subject(s) - aloe vera , ingestion , pharmacognosy , traditional medicine , medicine , disease , physiology , biology , biological activity , in vitro , biochemistry
The effects of long‐term Aloe vera ingestion on age‐related diseases were investigated using male specific pathogen‐free (SPF) Fischer 344 rats. Experimental animals were divided into four groups: Group A, the control rats fed a semi‐synthetic diet without Aloe vera ; Group B, rats fed a diet containing 1% freeze‐dried Aloe vera filet; Group C, rats fed a diet containing 1% charcoal‐processed, freeze‐dried Aloe vera filet; and Group D, rats fed the control diet and given whole leaf charcoal‐processed Aloe vera (0.02%) in the drinking water. This study demonstrates that life‐long Aloe vera ingestion produced neither harmful effects nor deleterious changes. In addition, Aloe vera ingestion appeared to be associated with some beneficial effects on age‐related diseases. Groups B exhibited significantly less occurrence of multiple causes of death, and a slightly lower incidence of fatal chronic nephropathy compared with Group A rats. Groups B and C rats showed the trend, slightly lower incidences of thrombosis in the cardiac atrium than Group A rats. Therefore, these findings suggest that life‐long Aloe vera ingestion does not cause any obvious harmful and deleterious side effects, and could also be beneficial for the prevention of age‐related pathology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.