No abstract

Common bean extract as a dietary supplement has received increased attention globally owing to its α-amylase inhibitory activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of a white kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) extract by a repeated-dose 90-day subchronic oral toxicity study in Sprague-Dawley rats. In the subchronic toxicity study, 80 rats were orally administrated with white kidney bean extract at doses of 4, 2, and 1 g/kg body weight daily for 90 days. The results showed that the white kidney bean extract at doses up to 4 g/kg/day did not induce significant changes in body weight, organ weight, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, and histopathology in rats, as compared to the control. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of white kidney bean extract was determined to be >4 g/kg/day for both male and female rats, under the experimental conditions of this study.

As botanicals and dietary supplements are used increasingly in many countries, the issue of safety is particularly critical for regulation of food products containing these substances. Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) has been used for centuries as a medicine and nutritional supplement in Asia and Europe. However, data regarding to the safety assessment of the plant and its extracts is still rare. This study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of seabuckthorn berry (SB) oil conducted in three genotoxicity studies and a teratogenicity study. Results of the genotoxicity studies indicated that SB oil has no genotoxicity under the experimental conditions of this study. Specifically, SB oil did not display any mutagenic activity on histidine dependent strains of Salmonella typhimurium under exposure concentrations of 8, 40, 200, 1000, and 5000 μg/plate; SB oil did not have significant effect on sperm morphology and have no influence on micronucleus rate of polychromatic erythrocytes in mice at doses of 9.36, 4.68, and 2.34 g/kg body weight. In the teratogenicity study, pregnant rats were treated with 4.68, 2.34, and 1.17 g/kg SB oil from gestation day 7 to 16 and no treatment-related maternal toxicity or embryo toxicity was observed. Taken together, these results support the safe use of seabuckthorn berry oil for potential dietary consumption in food or as a dietary supplement.