Quality Assurance in Toxicology Studies in Developing Countries

As developing countries become more involved in the international chemical trade, they must adhere to certain requirements for importation of their chemicals into foreign countries. These developing countries will be required to provide basic safety information on their chemical products, including data developed from chemical and toxicologic testing. These data must be developed in accordance with the national requirements of the importing country. Many importing countries have adopted the OECD Test Guidelines and the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) as primary guidance to assure the quality of laboratory data. These procedures provide a basis for internationally acceptable data. Several countries have incorporated many of these provisions into their national laws or administrative procedures. These procedures describe the process of documenting the conduct of laboratory studies, including recording of data, reporting of study results, and storage of data gathered. This process is intended to assure the quality and integrity of the data so that, if required, the study can be reconstructed by an auditor or an inspector. Details of these procedures and their applicability to the international chemical trade are discussed. 1989 Academic Press, Inc.

Ethnopharmacological,phytochemical and clinical studies on Fenugreek(Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

Trigonella foenum-graecum(fenugreek)belonging to the family Fabaceae,is widely used for both culinary as well as clinical purposes since antiquity.Folkloric medicines across globe particularly use this plant for boosting immunity and combating digestive and reproductive impairments.The plant is rich reservoir of different phytoconstituents attributed to their diverse pharmacological effects.Therefore,the present article is planned on its ethnomedicinal uses,botanical description,phytochemistry,pharmacology,toxicology,clinical efficacy,mechanism of action and nanoparticle synthesis.In all pharmacological studies,the dose,major bioactive,type of extract and possible outcomes is also discussed,to establish its specific role against a particular ailment.It was hypothesized that the nanoparticle synthesis will lead to the enhanced pharmacology.Results showed that ethnomedicinal data well supports the different pharmacological aspects of Trigonella formulations in different countries.Trigonelline(phytoestrogen)renders most of therapeutic potential of Trigonella.The reported therapeutics can also be accounted as the synergistic pharmacology of different bioactives.Nanoparticle synthesis significantly improves its pharmacological efficacy.Clinical studies well validated its antidiabetic and reproductive health improving efficacies.Though no serious toxic effects were observed with the use of this plant but further well-designed placebo trials are still needed to demonstrate its full therapeutic potential.