title: Toxicologic assessment of Paecilomyces tenuipes in rats: renal toxicity and mutagenic potential.
abstract: Paecilomyces tenuipes is entomogenous fungus that is called snow-flake Dongchunghacho in Korea. Although it is widely used in traditional medicines, its safety has not yet been comprehensively investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxicity, acute and subchronic toxicity of P. tenuipes. The acute oral LD50 of P. tenuipes extract in rats was estimated to be greater than 2000mg/kg of body weight. In the subchronic study, the oral treatment of rats with 500, 1000 or 2000mg/kg P. tenuipes extract daily for 13weeks did not induce any dose-related changes (body weight, food consumption, clinical observation, urinalysis, hematology, clinical chemistry and organ weight). In contrast, histopathological observation revealed that P. tenuipes extract induced karyomegaly in outer medulla of kidney in all treated rats. Importantly, P. tenuipes extract exerted the mutagenic potential in Ames assay. Since karyomegalic alterations have been known to be associated with carcinogenicity, our finding on the mutagenicity of P. tenuipes extract supports the possibility on the potential involvement of P. tenuipes in carcinogenicity at least partially. In conclusion, the subchronic oral exposure of P. tenuipes may induce kidney abnormality at the concentration higher than 500mg/kg body weight, although further studies using other animal models are needed to identify the toxicity of P. tenuipes.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Center for Animal Resource and Development, Bio-Max Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun-Soon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo Ho
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hak
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Chan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Biofood Network, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; BiofoodCRO, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Center for Animal Resource and Development, Bio-Max Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Experimental Animal Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Graduate School of Translational Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: bckang@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Byeong-Cheol
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001685:Biological Factors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009153:Mutagens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010143:Paecilomyces / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D056910:Republic of Korea; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001685:Biological Factors; D009153:Mutagens
keywords: Genotoxicity; Karyomegaly; Kidney; Paecilomyces tenuipes; Subchronic; Toxicity