Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity evaluation of probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae RC016: a 60-day subchronic oral toxicity study in rats.

AIMS: To acquire data on the safety-in-use of the probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae RC016 and test its ability to reduce genotoxicity caused by dietary aflatoxins (AFs). METHODS AND RESULTS: The probiotic was orally administered to Wistar rats. Six groups (n = 6) were arranged: feed and probiotic controls, two levels of AFs-contaminated feed and two treatments including both the probiotic and the toxin. Genotoxiciy and cytotoxicity were evaluated with the bone marrow micronuclei assay and the comet assay and internal organs were macroscopically and microscopically examined. The tested S. cerevisiae strain did not cause genotoxicity or cytotoxicity in vivo, and it was able to attenuate AFs-caused genotoxicity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae RC016 did not cause any impairment on the rats' health and it showed no negative impact on the weight gain. Moreover, RC016 improved zootechnical parameters in AFs-treated animals. The beneficial effects were likely to be caused by adsorption of AFs to the yeast cell wall in the intestine and the consequent reduction in the toxin's bioavailability. CONCLUSIONS: The dietary administration of RC016 does not induce genotoxicity or cytotoxicity to rats. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Incorporation of RC016 in the formulation of feed additives increases animal productivity. Similar effects may even occur in human food applications.

In vivo effect on pig chromosomes of high dosage vaccine against classic swine fever.

Hog cholera virus (HCV) can induce chromosome abnormalities in diseased pigs as well as in those vaccinated with attenuated virus vaccine against classic swine fever. An experiment was made using animals from potency and safety control tests of commercial vaccines in Argentina. The different types of chromosomal alterations observed were chromatid and chromosome breaks, chromatid exchanges, polyploid, multiple aberrations cells, and chromosome pulverization. In this study the occurrence of chromosome alterations in pigs receiving either 1 or 10 vaccine doses was evaluated by means of blood sampling at different periods after vaccination. An essay comparing prolificity between treated and non-treated sows was also made. Significant differences in the amount of damaged chromosomes as well as differences in the type of predominant alterations between the two treatments were observed. Aberration frequencies increased from the 5-day postvaccination period reaching the highest value of 4.14% at the 10th, for the one-dose treatment; and highest value of 42.7% including 33.96% of cell with chromosome pulverization which was found in the 7th day interval when applying 10 doses. From then on, the proportion of affected cells dropped until the 20th day interval, which was the last recorded. The prolificity trial did not show any difference between treated and control sows, indicating that chromosome alteration might be limited to lymphocytes. It is concluded that HCV maintains its mutagenic potentiality in the attenuated vaccine, being able to induce chromosomal damage as it does in classic swine fever diseased animals.

Has prolactin an intermedin-like activity on the integument of the Axolotl?

Skin explants of the neotenic form of Ambystoma tigrinum (Axolotl) have been kept in culture during several days. When alpha-MSH or prolactin are added to the medium, a dispersion of melanin in melanosomes is observed. The reaction is reversible in the case of prolactin when the explants are transferred in the medium without hormones. Furthermore with prolactin, expansion of melanin in dermal melanophores is a more permanent and highly reproducible phenomenon, compared with the action of alpha-MSH in the same conditions. The type of action of prolactin could be different of the one of alpha-MSH.