[An experimental study of the effect of an artichoke preparation on the activity of the sympathetic-adrenal system in carbon disulfide exposure].

Artichoke, a new Bulgarian preparation based on the plant Cynara scolymus, was tested for influence on sympatho-adrenal system (SAS) activity in experimental inhalation exposure to carbon disulfide. This chronic (six-month) inhalation experiment was done on Wistar albino rats of either sex. Activity of SAS was assessed through excretion of noradrenalin and adrenalin. Findings indicated a phasic SAS response depending on concentration and duration of carbon disulfide exposure. With exposure to 30 mg.m3, SAS activity was observed to decrease in the second month, followed by increase in the fourth and sixth months. With exposure to 300 mg.m3, SAS activity was elevated over the whole period of study. Under the influence of the preparation artichoke at dosage 200 mg.kg-1, catecholamines, increased by carbon disulfide exposure, returned to normal. This trend was more marked for noradrenalin.