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To screen biologically active components of the higher fungi of Korea, the dried carpophores of Auricularia polytricha were extracted with water. The extract was examined for acute toxicity in ICR mice. A low molecular weight toxin of this fungus was purified by a acetone precipitation followed by cellulose, silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Major symptoms of this toxin were decreasing of normal motility, eye extrusion, hair erection, shivering, trembling of head, paralysis, rapid running or moving before death and depression of respiration. The median lethal doses of the total extract were 1.28 g/㎏ and 4.31 g/㎏ by i.p. and p.o. administrations, respectively. The amounts of one mouse lethal unit of the total extract and final fraction that killed a 20 g mouse within 30 minutes were 28.5 and 12.0 ㎎/mouse, respectively.
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