Chilli extract treatment and induction of eye lesions in hamsters.
On chronic administration of 20 microliter of chilli extract to the cheek pouch of hamsters till death, 23% of the hamsters developed shrunken eye balls and closing of the eyelids. This effect was not observed in hamsters which received a single application of the potent carcinogen methylacetoxymethyl nitrosamine (DMN-OAC) (2 mg/kg body wt.) prior to repeated treatment with chilli extract. Vitamin A levels decreased significantly in the liver tissue of chilli-treated and carcinogen + chilli-treated groups compared to absolute alcohol-treated and untreated groups, while serum Vitamin A values decreased only in the DMN-OAC + chilli-treated group. However, Vitamin A levels do not seem to be linked causally with the effect on the eyes of chilli-treated hamsters, because these hamsters had circulating levels of Vitamin A comparable to those observed in untreated and alcohol-treated groups.
D000818:Animals; D002212:Capsicum / Q000633:toxicity*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000633:toxicity; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010945:Plants, Edible; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism
D014801:Vitamin A; C014659:methyl(acetoxymethyl)nitrosamine; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine