A 90-Day Subchronic Toxicity Study of Consumption of GH-Transgenic Triploid Carp in Wistar Rats

Genetic modification (GM) offers an alternative strategy to conventional animal breeding. The present study was carried out to investigate the potential health effects of the consumption of growth hormone-transgenic triploid carp (GH-ttc) through a 90-day subchronic rodent feeding study. Wistar rats (n = 10/sex/group) were given formulated diets containing GH-ttc or non-GM carp at an incorporated rate of 2.5%, 5%, or 10% (w/w) for 90 days. An additional control group of rats (n = 10/sex/group) was fed a basic rodent diet. During the 90-day study, clinical observation, ophthalmic examination, body weight, and food intake were evaluated. At the end of the study, rats were killed, and the hematology, serum chemistry, urine test, necropsy, and histopathology were assessed. Compared with the non-GM carp and the basic control groups, no biologically significant differences were observed on clinical signs of toxicity, body weights, food intake, hematology, serum chemistry, urinalysis, organ weight, and histopathology on selected organs for the GH-ttc group. The results of this 90-day subchronic feeding study indicated that, at the dose level used in this study, consumption of GH-ttc showed no subchronic toxicity to Wistar rats.

Evaluation of acute and subchronic toxicity of “Tran Chau Nguu Hoang Hoan” in experimental animals

“Tran chau nguu hoang hoan” was prepared from 12 herbal ingredients. So far, the safety of this product, has not been reported yet. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the acute and subchronic toxicity of “Tran chau nguu hoang hoan” through oral administration in experimental animals. The acute toxicity was determined by the method of Litchfield Wilcoxon in mice at the doses of 2.42 g/kg b.w/day to 6.04 g/kg b.w/day. The subchronic toxicity was evaluated followed the Guideline of WHO and OECD in rats with oral doses of 58.0 mg/kg b.w/day and 174.0 mg/kg b.w/day for 12 consecutive weeks. As a result, in the course of the acute toxicity test, the mice showed no abnormal sign or death. In terms of the subchonic toxicity test, hematological indexes, hepato-renal functions and microscopic images of liver and kidney were unchanged. In conclusion, “Tran chau nguu hoang hoan” does not appear to produce acute and subchronic toxicities in mice and rats.

Acute and subchronic oral toxicity assessments of BTL tea in experimental animals

Tobacco smoking remains a leading cause of preventable diseases and premature death in many countries. Many smokers want to quit smoking but are not offered the highly effective treatments available to manage tobacco dependency. There has been a current trend for researchers to find new natural ingredients that were safe and still effective in treating tobacco dependence. BTL tea was a herbal-derived product prepared from Herba Menthae, Pogos cablin (Blanco) Benth., Zingiber Officinale Rosc., Flos Chrysanthemi, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Pericarpium Citri deliciosa, and Flos Lonicera. At this time, the safety of this product has not been reported. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate BTL tea’s acute and subchronic toxicity through oral administration in experimental animals. The acute toxicity was determined by Litchfield-Wilcoxon method in mice at the doses of 45.0 g/kg b.w/day to 112.5 g/kg b.w/day. The subchronic toxicity was evaluated following WHO and OECD’s Guidelines in rats with oral doses of 1.08 g/kg b.w/day (equal to recommended human dose) and 3.24 g/kg b.w/day (three times as high as recommended human dose) for four consecutive weeks. As a result, in the acute toxicity test, the mice showed no abnormal sign or death. The subchronic toxicity test, hematological indexes, hepato-renal functions, and microscopic images of liver and kidney were unchanged. However, compared with the control group, there were significant differences in various indexes, including total WBC, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and AST level, but the levels were still safe. In conclusion, BTL tea does not appear to produce acute and subchronic toxicities in mice and rats.

The evaluation of acute and subchronic toxicities of An Phu Khang capsules in experimental animals

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the acute and subchronic toxicities of An Phu Khang capsules through oral administration in experimental animals. The acute toxicity was determined by the method of Litchfield Wilcoxon in Swiss mice. The subchronic toxicity was evaluated by the recommendation of WHO in Wistar rats at these doses of 0.54 g/kg b.w/day (equal to recommended human dose) and 1.62 g/kg b.w/day (3 times as high as recommended human dose) in 4 consecutive weeks. As a result, An Phu Khang capsules at the highest dose used for mice (36.29 g/kg b.w) did not show acute toxicity in mice. In terms of the subchronic toxicity test, after oral administration of An Phu Khang capsules, hematological parameters, hepato-renal functions, and microscopic images of liver and kidney at both doses were unchanged compared with the control group. In conclusion, An Phu Khang with both doses 0.54 g/kg b.w/day and 1.62 g/kg b.w/day did not produce acute and subchronic toxicities in Swiss mice and Wistar rats.

The study of acute and subchronic toxicities of Da Dai Trang HVD capsules in experimental animals

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the acute and subchronic toxicities of DA DAI TRANG HVD capsules through oral administration in experimental animals. The acute toxicity was determined by the method of Litchfield Wilcoxon in Swiss mice. The subchronic toxicity was evaluated by the recommendation of WHO and OECD in Wistar rats with oral doses of 1.44 g/kg/day (equal to recommended human dose) and 4.32 g/kg/day (3 times as high as recommended human dose) in 4 consecutive weeks. As a result, DA DAI TRANG HVD capsules at the highest dose used for mice (99.9 g materials/kg) did not express acute toxicity in mice. In term of the subchonic toxicity test, DA DAI TRANG HVD had no deleterious effect on hematological parameters, hepato-renal functions, macroscopic and microscopic images of livers and kidneys of rats. In conclusion, DA DAI TRANG HVD capsules did not produce the acute and subchronic toxicities in Swiss mice and Wistar rats.

Subchronic oral toxicity of Rabella powder in experimental rats

It has recently become obvious that the prevalence of obesity has been rapidly increasing in Vietnam, as well as other countries, over the past two decades. There has been a current trend for researchers to discover new natural ingredients which are safe and effective in the treatment of obesity. RABELLA powder was a herbal-derived product which contained Amorphophalus konjac (K. Koch starch). This plant was used as an oral medication for controlling body weight in the past as well as in the present. So far, the safety of this product, has not been reported yet in Vietnam. Thus, this study was designed to assess the subchronic toxicity of RABELLA powder in Wistar rats. The method used in this study followed the guidance of the World Health Organization and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; 2 oral doses of 1.2 g/kg b.w/day and 3.6 g/kg b.w/day was administered to rats for 12 consecutive weeks. The results show that RABELLA powder caused no significant change in the general condition, hematological indexes, functions and microscopic images of livers and kidneys. We conclude that RABELLA powder did not cause subchronic toxicity in experimental rats. Moreover, this also revealed partly the safety of RABELLA powder in clinical practice.

Aristolochic Acid I-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Tianfu Broilers Is Associated with Oxidative-Stress-Mediated Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Damage

Aristolochic acid (AA) is a component of traditional Chinese herbs and commonly used for farm animals in China. Over-exposure of AA has been proven to be associated with hepatotoxicity; however, the mechanism of action of AA-I-induced hepatotoxicity remains unknown. In the current study, a subchronic toxicity test was conducted to evaluate the mechanism of AA-induced hepatotoxicity in Tianfu broilers. According to the results, AA-I-induced hepatotoxicity in Tianfu broilers was evidenced by the elevation of liver weight, levels of serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT). Furthermore, hepatocyte swelling, vesicular degeneration and steatosis were observed. Additionally, AA-I elevated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induced oxidative stress, which further led to excessive apoptosis, characterized by mitochondrial depolarization, upregulation of Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. In conclusion, the mechanism of AA-I-induced hepatotoxicity was associated with oxidative-stress-mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial damage.