Do genetically modified crops affect animal reproduction? A review of the ongoing debate

Zhang, W.; Shi, Fangxiong

doi:10.1017/s1751731110002776

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Although, it should be noted that analyses of available data indicate that, for a wide range of substances, reproductive and developmental effects are not potentially more sensitive endpoints than those examined in subchronic toxicity tests [13]. Several review papers that summarize the results of long-term and multigenerational feeding studies in a variety of species have been published recently [2,14-16]. The duration of published long-term feeding studies using a GE-based diet ranged from 110 d [17-19] to 728 d [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

Eenennaam

2013

J Animal Sci Biotechnol

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In 2012, genetically engineered (GE) crops were grown by 17.3 million farmers on over 170 million hectares. Over 70% of harvested GE biomass is fed to food producing animals, making them the major consumers of GE crops for the past 15 plus years. Prior to commercialization, GE crops go through an extensive regulatory evaluation. Over one hundred regulatory submissions have shown compositional equivalence, and comparable levels of safety, between GE crops and their conventional counterparts. One component of regulatory compliance is whole GE food/feed animal feeding studies. Both regulatory studies and independent peer-reviewed studies have shown that GE crops can be safely used in animal feed, and rDNA fragments have never been detected in products (e.g. milk, meat, eggs) derived from animals that consumed GE feed. Despite the fact that the scientific weight of evidence from these hundreds of studies have not revealed unique risks associated with GE feed, some groups are calling for more animal feeding studies, including long-term rodent studies and studies in target livestock species for the approval of GE crops. It is an opportune time to review the results of such studies as have been done to date to evaluate the value of the additional information obtained. Requiring long-term and target animal feeding studies would sharply increase regulatory compliance costs and prolong the regulatory process associated with the commercialization of GE crops. Such costs may impede the development of feed crops with enhanced nutritional characteristics and durability, particularly in the local varieties in small and poor developing countries. More generally it is time for regulatory evaluations to more explicitly consider both the reasonable and unique risks and benefits associated with the use of both GE plants and animals in agricultural systems, and weigh them against those associated with existing systems, and those of regulatory inaction. This would represent a shift away from a GE evaluation process that currently focuses only on risk assessment and identifying ever diminishing marginal hazards, to a regulatory approach that more objectively evaluates and communicates the likely impact of approving a new GE plant or animal on agricultural production systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reproductive effects of GE crops are another area that has generated debate [16]. In this regard several controversial studies are often cited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

Eenennaam

2013

J Animal Sci Biotechnol

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“…To date, there is a lack of long-term studies conducted with a large number of animals over several generations with the objective of evaluating the effects of GM feeds on livestock species ( 11 ) . Multigenerational studies evaluating the long-term effects of feeding GM feed have been confined to sheep ( 12 ) , mice ( 13 ) and rats ( 14 , 15 ) , and have not been conducted to date in pigs, perhaps the best recognised animal model for human physiology ( 16 ) .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of feeding Bt MON810 maize to sows during first gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring health indicators

et al. 2012

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A total of twenty-four sows and their offspring were used in a 20-week study to investigate the effects of feeding GM maize on maternal and offspring health. Sows were fed diets containing GM or non-GM maize from service to the end of lactation. GM maize-fed sows were heavier on day 56 of gestation (P, 0·05). Offspring from sows fed GM maize tended to be lighter at weaning (P¼ 0·08). Sows fed GM maize tended to have decreased serum total protein (P¼ 0·08), and increased serum creatinine (P,0·05) and g-glutamyltransferase activity (P¼0·07) on day 28 of lactation. Serum urea tended to be decreased on day 110 of gestation in GM maize-fed sows (P¼0·10) and in offspring at birth (P¼ 0·08). Both platelet count (P¼0·07) and mean cell Hb concentration (MCHC; P¼ 0·05) were decreased on day 110 of gestation in GM maize-fed sows; however, MCHC tended to be increased in offspring at birth (P¼ 0·08). There was a minimal effect of feeding GM maize to sows during gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring serum biochemistry and haematology at birth and body weight at weaning.

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“…Although previous scientific evidences indicate that GM crops are similar with their conventional counterparts, the general publics still have reasonable doubt whether these transgenic crops cause adverse effects [31]. Some scientists think that transgenic crops have not been adequately tested to be proved no harm to health [34,35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embryotoxicity of Transgenic Rice TT51 and Cry1Ab Bt Insecticidal Toxin in Rat Post Implantation Whole Embryo Culture

Guo¹,

Wang²,

Wang³

et al. 2014

JFNR

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TT51, with a synthetic Cry1Ab/CryAc gene from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner, was the first genetically modified (GM) plant officially certificated in China. This study was undertaken to investigate potential embryotoxicity of TT51 on rats. Whole embryo culture (WEC) is an effective method for safety evaluation when culture medium, containing substances derived from GM food, is available. Rat embryos explanted from uterus were randomly distributed into 6 groups: Transgenic Rice (TR) group with transgenic rice dietary administration, Parental Rice (PR) group with parental rice dietary administration, Blank Control (BC), Positive control A (PCA) group with Bisphenol A being directly added into the culture medium, Positive control B (PCB) group with Bisphenol A oral administration and Bt protein (BP) group with Bt protein directly added into culture medium. After culturing for 48 h, embryos were scored for growth and differentiation at the endpoint. Embryos in TR group had no significantly lower morphological scores or smaller yolk sac diameter, crown-rump length (CRL) and cranial diameter comparing with those in BC and PR group. Embryos in PCA and PCB group both performed significantly lower developmental parameters and morphological scores than the other three groups. Embryos directly exposed to Bt protein (52 mg/L) exhibited severe morphological anomalies but no significant difference in yolk sac diameter compared with PR, TR and BC groups. In this WEC model, TT51 showed no embryotoxicity to rats although Bt toxin had side effect on embryos when the concentration is equal to the daily intake of Bt protein in TT51 diet. And it also indicated that WEC method can make an option for toxicological assessment of GM food.

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Do genetically modified crops affect animal reproduction? A review of the ongoing debate

Cited by 20 publications

References 78 publications

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

Effects of feeding Bt MON810 maize to sows during first gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring health indicators

Embryotoxicity of Transgenic Rice TT51 and Cry1Ab Bt Insecticidal Toxin in Rat Post Implantation Whole Embryo Culture

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