ABSTRACT
Increased human use of annatto (Bixa orellana L), a red yellow food colorant, demands generation of toxicity data. The toxic effects of annatto powder (bixin 27%) have been assessed following administration of a subacute regimen (4 weeks, 20 doses) in Wistar male and female rats. A full study with three dose levels was considered unnecessary since no sign of toxicity had been noted in a preliminary experiment with 1000 mg/kg body weight/day as was recommended by the OECD guideline. In this study, annatto administered by gavage at a dose level of 2000 mg/kg/day decreased male body weight gain, but had no effect on either food intake or food conversion efficiency. Haematological and plasma biochemical examination as well necropsy performed at the end of administration (29th day) and observation (43rd day) periods revealed no alterations related with annatto administration. Kidney apoptosis occurred in 20% treated female rats in restricted areas without proliferation or tubular segments modification. The precise nature of apoptosis was not investigated in the present study. These findings suggest that annatto was no toxic to the rat.
Subject(s)
Food Coloring Agents/toxicity , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Administration, Oral , Adrenal Glands/drug effects , Adrenal Glands/pathology , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Bixaceae , Carotenoids , Clinical Chemistry Tests , Female , Food Coloring Agents/administration & dosage , Hematologic Tests , Kidney/drug effects , Kidney/pathology , Liver/drug effects , Liver/pathology , Male , Organ Size/drug effects , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Toxicity TestsABSTRACT
This work has evaluated the clastogenicity of six extracts (tea and aqueous extract of leaves, tea, aqueous and methanolic extracts of dried fruit, and tea of unripe fruit) obtained from Crotalaria retusa L. and three extracts (tea and methanolic extract of dried fruit, and tea of unripe fruit) obtained from Crotalaria mucronata Desv. The extracts were injected intraperitoneally into mice, and the animals were killed 24 h after treatment for preparation of bone marrow cells. The extracts obtained from fruits of Crotalaria retusa were found to cause a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in mice. On the other hand, no statistically significant increase in the frequency of aberrant cells was observed for the animals treated with leaf extracts obtained from Crotalaria retusa and with extracts from fruits of Crotalaria mucronata. The possibility that the pyrrolizidine alkaloid, monocrotaline, present in Crotalaria retusa exerts a clastogenic effect on mouse bone marrow cells is discussed. Our conclusion is based on studies using intraperitoneal treatments. Effects of oral exposure to extracts of Crotalaria retusa are unknown.
Subject(s)
Chromosome Aberrations , Fabaceae , Monocrotaline/toxicity , Mutagens/toxicity , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plants, Medicinal , Animals , Bone Marrow/drug effects , Brazil , Chi-Square Distribution , Injections, Intraperitoneal , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Monocrotaline/administration & dosage , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids/administration & dosage , Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids/toxicityABSTRACT
Toxicological and toxicogenetic effects of aqueous (tea) and hexanic fruit extract of Indigofera suffruticosa Mill. and hydroalcoholic root extract of Solanum agrarium Stendt. were evaluated in Balb C male mice intraperitoneally exposed. A hepatotoxic effect was observed just for animals treated with aqueous fruit extract of I. suffruticosa. In relation to the toxicogenetic effect, just the group treated with 12.5% of toxic dose of aqueous fruit extract of I. suffruticosa showed a statistically significant increase in the frequency of cells with chromosome aberrations (cytogenetic effect), although a slight increase was also observed for the highest dose (25% of LD50) of hydroalcoholic root extract of S. agrarium. The results obtained show that before S. agrarium is used as medicine and before the wide use of I. suffruticosa in cattle food, careful evaluation must be done.
Subject(s)
Animal Feed/toxicity , Mutagens/toxicity , Plants, Edible , Plants, Medicinal , Plants, Toxic , Animals , Brazil , Chromosome Aberrations , Lethal Dose 50 , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/toxicityABSTRACT
Aflatoxinas säo um grupo de metabólitos tóxicos, produzidos principalmente pelos fungos Aspergillus flavus e Aspergillus parasiticus. No Brasil, estäo associados frequentemente a amendoim, algodäo, feijäo e milho e merecem atençäo por sua natureza carcinogênica. A aflatoxina B1 é a mais tóxica e está sempre presente em maior concentraçäo que G1, B2 e G2. O presente trabalho levanta a contaminaçäo de 25 amostras de gräos de milho coletadas em armazéns de pequenos produtores de regiäo de Irecê-BA(1985), por fungos aflatoxigênicos e aflatoxina B1, considerando que o produto é utilizado na alimentaçäo humana e animal. As amostras foram submetidas a exames fitopatológicos e químicos que revelaram a presença de cepas toxigênicas de A. parasiticus e A. flavus em 100% e 91,5% das amostras, respectivamente, e a ocorrência de aflatoxina B1 em níveis näo recomendados em 12% das amostras, o que as torna inadequadas para consumo
Subject(s)
Aflatoxins/analysis , Food Contamination , Zea mays , BrazilABSTRACT
A leguminosa indigofera suffruticosa Mill, apresenta potencial forrageiro. Folhas e Frutos foram extraídos com hexano e os extratos obtidos, administrados por via intraperitoneal em camundongos. Encontrou-se a dose tóxica de 5,0g/kg e 7,5g/kg para os extratos hexânicos de folha e fruto respectivamente. As principais alteraçöes foram observadas a nível hepático e pulmonar
