title: Subchronic Immunotoxicity Assessment of Genetically Modified Virus-Resistant Papaya in Rats.
abstract: Papaya is an important fruit that provides a variety of vitamins with nutritional value and also holds some pharmacological properties, including immunomodulation. Genetically modified (GM) papaya plants resistant to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) infection have been generated by cloning the coat protein gene of the PRSV which can be used as a valuable strategy to fight PRSV infection and to increase papaya production. In order to assess the safety of GM papaya as a food, this subchronic study was conducted to assess the immunomodulatory responses of the GM papaya line 823-2210, when compared with its parent plant of non-GM papaya, Tainung-2 (TN-2), in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Both non-GM and GM 823-2210 papaya fruits at low (1 g/kg bw) and high (2 g/kg bw) dosages were administered via daily oral gavage to male and female rats consecutively for 90 days. Immunophenotyping, mitogen-induced splenic cell proliferation, antigen-specific antibody response, and histopathology of the spleen and thymus were evaluated at the end of the experiment. Results of immunotoxicity assays revealed no consistent difference between rats fed for 90 days with GM 823-2210 papaya fruits, as opposed to those fed non-GM TN-2 papaya fruits, suggesting that with regard to immunomodulatory responses, GM 823-2210 papaya fruits maintain substantial equivalence to fruits of their non-GM TN-2 parent.
authors.affiliation: Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare , Taipei City115, Taiwan, Republic of China.|College of Bioresources, National I-Lan University , I-Lan 260, Taiwan 260, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hsin-Tang
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei-Cheng
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yi-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jhaol-Huei
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gow-Chin
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shyi-Dong
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: National Plant Genetic Resources Center, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute , Taichung 413, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ying-Huey
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shih-Chieh
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiunn-Wang
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029441:Carica / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified / Q000821:virology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D064088:Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points; D008297:Male; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D017800:Potyvirus / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
keywords: PRSV-GM papaya fruit; immunotoxicity; rats; subchronic