本研究之目的在探討台灣金線連水粗萃取物 (AFE) 的安全性及保健功效，為台灣金線連開發與利用之基礎研究，得到如下結果。 AFE對大鼠的一半致死劑量大於10 g/kg。AFE連續經口投予90天對大鼠的毒性作用研究顯示AFE的安全劑量在0.5 g/kg 以下。對妊娠期及授乳期母鼠連續投予AFE，目測觀察外型AFE無致畸胎作用，對新生仔數的生長也沒有影響。初步基因毒性試驗顯示，AFE對沙門菌回復突變試驗及鼷鼠骨髓細胞微核試驗沒有致突變作用。 AFE的抗氧化作用在活體內慢性實驗能有效的延長高血脂倉鼠低密度脂蛋白的氧化延滯期，顯示AFE能預防動脈粥狀硬化的發生。AFE對以streptozotocin誘發糖尿病之大鼠具有降血糖的作用，及減輕腎臟的氧化應激損傷。AFE長期投予，可以改善母鼠去卵巢後引起的骨質疏鬆，及缺雌激素所誘發的氧化應力傷害。AFE可以改善四氯化碳所誘發的大鼠肝纖維化， AFE對四氯化碳誘發後所增加的肝臟脂質過氧化程度無影響。AFE對dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) 所誘發的大鼠肝纖維化也有減輕作用，對大鼠先經DMN損傷後的部分切肝有促進肝再生作用。 以上的結果顯示台灣金線連具有開發成多種功效保健食品的潛力。; The aim of the present study was to investigate the safety and sepecified health use of the aqueous extract of Anoectochilus formosanus (AFE). And this was the basic study for its development and utilization. The following results were obtained. The median lethal dose of AFE was above 10 g/kg in rats. The toxicity study of administering of AFE orally daily to rats for 90 days indicated that the safe dose of AFE was below 0.5 g/kg. The study of administering of AFE orally to female rats from gestation to postpartum indicated that teratogenicity of AFE could not be detected and AFE had no effect on offspring by the naked eye. Mutagenicity of AFE in the Ames test and micronucleus test in bone marrow cells in mice indicated that AFE had no genotoxicity. The anti-oxidant effect of AFE was examined by ex vivo chronic study. And the results showed that AFE prolonged the lag time of LDL oxidation from hyperlipidemic hamsters. These suggested that it might serve for further preventive use as anti-atherogenic agent. Administration of AFE to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, and decreased renal lipid peroxidation from oxidative stress. Chronic administration of AFE could ameliorate ovariectomy-induced osteopenia and protect from deficiency of estradiol-induced oxidative stress. AFE protected the liver from CCl4-induced injury. The increased hepatic lipid peroxidation after CCl4 administration did not prevent by AFE administration. AFE could ameliorate dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis, and promote liver regeneration in hepatectomized DMN-injured rats. These results indicated that AFE had potential for the development of multiply functions of food for specified health uses.
