Lab Anim Res.  2014 Jun;30(2):54-63. 10.5625/lar.2014.30.2.54.

Toxicity of fermented soybean product (cheonggukjang) manufactured by mixed culture of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on liver and kidney of ICR mice

• Lee YJ
• Kim JE
• Kwak MH
• Go J
• Son HJ
• Kim DS
• Kang BC
• Lee HS
• Hwang DY

• KMID: 1707444
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5625/lar.2014.30.2.54

Abstract

To investigate the toxic effects of cheonggukjang (CKJ) manufactured using mixed cultures of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on the liver and kidney of ICR mice, an alteration on the related markers including body weight, organ weight, urine composition, liver pathology and kidney pathology were analyzed after oral administration at dosage of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day of CKJ for 14 days. Any significant toxicity was not observed on the body and organ weight, clinical phenotypes, urine parameters and mortality in the CKJ-treated group compared with the vehicle-treated group. Also, liver toxicity analysis revealed no significant increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in response to CKJ. Additionally, the specific pathological features induced by most toxic compounds were not observed upon liver histological analysis. Furthermore, kidney toxicological analysis revealed that blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the serum creatinine (Cr) levels and pathological features on histological sections did not differ significantly between the vehicle- and CKJ-treated groups. Overall, these results suggest that CKJ does not induce any specific toxicity in liver and kidney organs of ICR at dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/day as no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL).

Keyword

Bacillus subtilis MC31; cheonggukjang; kidney; Lactobacillus sakei 383; liver; toxic effect

MeSH Terms

Administration, Oral
Alanine Transaminase
Alkaline Phosphatase
Animals
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bacillus subtilis*
Blood Urea Nitrogen
Body Weight
Creatinine
Kidney*
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
Lactobacillus*
Liver*
Mice
Mice, Inbred ICR*
Mortality
No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level
Organ Size
Pathology
Phenotype
Soybeans*
Alanine Transaminase
Alkaline Phosphatase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Creatinine
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Alteration of body weights of ICR mice. The weight of the whole body was measured daily using an electronic balance for 14 days. Data represent the means±SD from three replicates.

• 

  Figure 2 Alteration of urine parameters. After final administration of CKJ, urine was collected from the bladder of ICR mice using a syringe and the levels of seven factors were then analyzed as described in the Materials and Methods. Data represent the means±SD from three replicates. *P<0.05 indicates a significant difference compared to the vehicle-treated group.

• 

  Figure 3 Liver toxicity in ICR mice. After final CKJ administration, blood was collected from the abdominal veins of vehicle- and CKJ-treated mice and serum concentrations of ALP (Aa), AST (Ab), ALT (Ac), and LDH (Ad) were then analyzed as described in the Materials and Methods. (B) Liver tissue of ICR mice was prepared on a histological slide and the cellular morphology was viewed at 400× magnification. Data represent the means±SD from three replicates. *P<0.05 indicates a significant difference compared to the vehicle-treated group.

• 

  Figure 4 Kidney toxicity in ICR mice. After final CKJ administration, blood was collected from abdominal veins of vehicle- and CKJ-treated mice and serum concentrations of BUN (Aa) and Cr (Ab) were analyzed in duplicate as described in the Materials and Methods. (B) Cortex and medulla regions of kidney tissue of ICR mice were prepared on a histological section and the cellular morphology was viewed at 400× magnification. Data represent the means±SD from three replicates. *P<0.05 indicates a significant difference compared to the vehicle-treated group.

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