Acute and subacute (28 days) toxicity of green coffee oil enriched with diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in rats.

Green coffee oil enriched with cafestol and kahweol was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction using carbon dioxide while its safety and possible effects from acute and subacute treatment were evaluated in rats. For acute toxicity study, single dose of green coffee oil (2000 mg/kg) was administered by gavage in female rats. For subacute study (28 days), 32 male rats received different doses of green coffee oil extract (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg/day). In the acute toxicity study, main findings of this treatment indicated no mortality, body weight decrease, no changes in hematological and biochemical parameters, and relative weight increase in heart and thymus, without histopathological alterations in all assessed organs. All these findings suggest that LD50 is higher than aforesaid dose. In the subacute toxicity, main findings showed body weight decrease mainly at the highest dose without food consumption change, serum glucose and tryglicerides levels decrease, and relative weight increase in liver. As evidenced in histopathological pictures, no changes were observed at all treated doses. Our study suggest that green coffee oil can be explored to clinically develop new hypocholesteromic and hypoglycemic agents. However, further studies evaluating long-term effects are needed in order to have sufficient safety evidence for its use in humans.

Assessment of the perinatal effects of maternal ingestion of Solanum malacoxylon in rats.

A perinatal study was performed to verify the toxic effects of Solanum malacoxylon, which contains a glycoside conjugated to Vitamin D(3). In the gestational study, female rats received S. malacoxylon leaves in the diet at 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1% from days 6 to 21 of pregnancy. At 21 days of gestation, blood samples were taken from the dams for evaluation of serum Ca and P. A laparotomy was performed and the rats were examined for standard parameters of reproductive performance. Fetuses were examined for skeletal changes and histopathologic evaluation. In the second trial, dams were fed diets containing 0 or 0.1% S. malacoxylon leaves during the gestation and lactation periods. After weaning, all animals were euthanized and biochemical and histopathologic evaluations were performed. The biochemical evaluation showed increase in Ca and P levels in females from all experimental groups; however, this effect did not occurred in a dose-related manner. Pups from dams exposed during gestation and lactationi also showed increased Ca and P levels. Fetal data suggested a delay of fetal development manifested by decreased body weight and skeletal alterations. There was also a reduction in live fetuses. Histopathologic study revealed alterations of the soft tissue in litters from dams given 1% dietary S. malacoxylon during pregnancy and 0.1% during pregnancy and lactation. These findings support our hypothesis that Vitamin D(3) glycoside crosses the placenta and suggests milk transfer of this substance.

Zearalenone, an estrogenic mycotoxin, is an immunotoxic compound.

The aim of this study was to assess the toxic effects of zearalenone (ZEA) on the immune function. Ovariectomised rats were treated daily by gavage with 3.0 mg/kg of ZEA for 28 days. Body weight gain, food consumption, haemotological parameters, lymphoid organs, and their cellularities were evaluated. Moreover, acquired immune responses and macrophage activity were also assessed. ZEA promoted reduction in body weight gain, which is not fully explained by diminished food consumption. Despite no effect on haematological parameters, ZEA caused thymic atrophy with histological and thymocyte phenotype changes and decrease in the B cell percentage in the spleen. With respect to acquired and innate immune responses, no statistically significant differences in delayed-type hypersensitivity were noticed; however, in the ZEA-treated rats, antibody production and peroxide release by macrophages were impaired. The observed results could be related to ZEA activity on ERs; thus, ZEA is an immunotoxic compound similar to estrogen and some endocrine disruptors.