title: Toxicological evaluation of fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifidain vitro and in vivo.
abstract: The potential toxicity of fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida was investigated in vitro and in vivo. By the Ames test, fucoidan showed no mutagenicity up to 500 microL/plate, and inhibited the mutagenicity induced by 4-nitro-quinoline-1-oxide, by up to 71%, compared with controls. In the bone marrow micronucleus test, fucoidan, at all levels tested, did not change the micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte percentage ratio in mouse bone marrow cells. As an acute in vivo toxicity test, fucoidan from 0 to 2000 mg/kg body weight per day was administered orally to Sprague-Dawley rats for 28 days. No significant toxicological change was induced by fucoidan treatment up to 1000 mg/kg body weight per day in biochemical analyses, hematological analyses, necropsy and liver histopathology. The plasma ALT level was slightly, but significantly, increased in male rats at 2000 mg/kg/day. The consumption of fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida, up to 1000 mg/kg body weight per day, may be safe in rodents, with no sign of toxicity after up to 28 days of daily administration.
authors.affiliation: Division of Food Bioscience and Technology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Safety, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuck-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jungae
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeun
authors.forename: Soung-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Houng
authors.forename: Hee-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jun
authors.forename: Dong-Keon
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kweon
authors.forename: Sung-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D044648:Undaria / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; C007789:fucoidan