title: Safety evaluation of supercritical carbon dioxide extract of Aloe vera gel.
abstract: The gel of the Aloe vera plant has been used safely for oral and external applications. Previously, we found phytosterols derived from an extract of Aloe vera gel obtained with an organic solvent to have hypoglycemic and antiobesity effects. While developing of functional foods using Aloe vera gel, we produced an active Aloe vera gel extract (AVGE) using a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) extraction procedure. In this study, we tested the safety of AVGE in vitro and in vivo. In an acute oral toxicological test in which AVGE was administered to rats at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight, there were no deaths or apparent abnormalities at necropsy. In a 90-d toxicity test in which rats were continuously administrered AVGE at 30 or 150 mg/kg, euthanized, and subjected to pathological examinations, no abnormalities attributable to the AVGE were found. AVGE was nonmutagenic in the Ames test and a chromosomal aberration test at concentrations of up to 5000 μg/plate and 1600 μg/plate, respectively, and in an in vivo bone marrow micronucleus test at up to 150 mg/kg/d.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AVGE can be safely used as a functional food material.
authors.affiliation: Functional Food Research Department, Food Science & Technology Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama-City, Kanagawa, Japan. m_tanaka@morinagamilk.co.jp
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Muneo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toida
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwatsuki
mesh_terms: D000504:Aloe / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000139:chemically induced; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D005782:Gels; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D009153:Mutagens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D002245:Carbon Dioxide