[A 52-week feeding study of genetically modified soybeans in F344 rats].
A chronic feeding study to evaluate the safety of the genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant soybeans (GM soybeans) was conducted using rats. F344 DuCrj rats were fed diet containing GM soybeans or Non-GM soybeans at the concentration of 30% in basal diet. Non-GM soybeans were closely related strain of GM soybeans. These two diets were adjusted to an identical nutrient level. In this study, the influence of GM soybeans on rats was compared with that of the Non-GM soybeans, and furthermore, to assess the effect of soybeans themselves, the groups of rats fed GM and Non-GM soybeans were compared with a group fed commercial diet (CE-2). General conditions were observed daily and body weight and food consumption were recorded. At the intermediate examination (26 weeks), and at the termination (52 weeks), animals were subjected to hematology, serum biochemistry, and pathological examination. There were several differences in animal growth, food intake, serum biochemical parameters and histological findings between the rats fed the GM and/or Non-GM soybeans and the rats fed CE-2. However, body weight and food intake were similar for the rats fed the GM and Non-GM soybeans. Gross necropsy findings, hematological and serum biochemical parameters, organ weights, and pathological findings showed no meaningful difference between rats fed the GM and Non-GM soybeans. These results indicate that long-term intake of GM soybeans at the level of 30% in diet has no apparent adverse effect in rats.
Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health: 3-24-1 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
Yoshimitsu
Y
Sakamoto
Yukie
Y
Tada
Nobutaka
N
Fukumori
Kuniaki
K
Tayama
Hiroshi
H
Ando
Hiroshi
H
Takahashi
Yoshikazu
Y
Kubo
Akemichi
A
Nagasawa
Norio
N
Yano
Katsuhiro
K
Yuzawa
Akio
A
Ogata
Hisashi
H
Kamimura
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics*