title: Feeding of potato, tomato and eggplant alkaloids affects food consumption and body and liver weights in mice.
abstract: Reduced liver weight was used to evaluate the potential toxicity in mice of four naturally occurring steroidal glycoalkaloids: alpha-chaconine and alpha-solanine, alpha-tomatine and solasonine. Increased liver weights was used to evaluate the three corresponding steroidal aglycones: solanidine, tomatidine, and solasodine and the non-alkaloid adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Adult female Swiss-Webster mice were fed diets containing test compound concentrations of 0 (control), 1.2, 2.4 or 4.8 mmol/kg diet for 7, 14 or 28 d. Absolute liver weights (LW) and relative liver weights (liver weight/body weight x 100, %LW/BW) were determined at autopsy. The %LW/BW was lower than that of controls in mice fed the potato glycoalkaloid alpha-chaconine (-10%, P < or = 0.05) for 7 d with the 2.4 mmol/kg diet dose. Under these same conditions, %LW/BW was greater than that of controls in mice fed two aglycones: solanidine (27%, P < or = 0.001) and solasodine (8%, P < or = 0.01). Relative liver weight increases induced by the aglycones were determined under time and dose conditions in which differences in body weight and food consumption were not significant (2.4 mmol/kg diet for 28 d). Under these conditions, the observed %LW/BW increases relative to the controls were as follows: solanidine (32%, P < or = 0.001), solasodine (22%, P < or = 0.001) and DHEA (16%, P < or = 0.001). Solanidine, solasodine and DHEA were equally potent and were more potent than tomatidine. We also observed that the greater %LW/BW in mice fed 2.4 mmol/kg diet solasodine or solanidine for 14 d declined to near control values if they were fed control diets for another 14 d. The increase in relative liver weight induced by solanidine and solasodine is a reversible adaptive response. These findings and the apparent effects of structure on biological activity should serve as a guide for the removal of the most toxic ++compounds from plant foods. The implications of the results for food safety and health are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Food Safety and Health Research Unit, USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California 94710, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Henika
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Mackey
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004144:Diosgenin; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010945:Plants, Edible; D012991:Solanaceous Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D012992:Solanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D011198:Solanum tuberosum; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014053:Tomatine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D012991:Solanaceous Alkaloids; D012992:Solanine; C011860:alpha-chaconine; C003677:tomatidine; D014053:Tomatine; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; C026608:alpha-solamargine; D004144:Diosgenin; C012037:solasodine; C013255:solanidine