Mc. Robbins et al., A 90-DAY FEEDING STUDY OF THE ALKALOIDS OF LUPINUS-ANGUSTIFOLIUS IN THE RAT, Food and chemical toxicology, 34(8), 1996, pp. 679-686
Groups of 20 Sprague-Dawley rats of each sex were fed diets containing
lupin alkaloid at dose levels of 0, 100, 330, 1000 and 5000 ppm suppl
emented with maltodextrin to attain a level of 4.5%, for 13 wk (equiva
lent to average daily intakes of lupin alkaloid of approximately 0, 10
, 30, 100 and 500 mg/kg body weight/day, respectively, over the course
of the study). A further group of rats was fed control (basal) diet o
ver the same period. All control and high-dose animals underwent an op
hthalmological examination before the start of the study and before au
topsy. Blood samples were collected from all rats prior to the start o
f treatment, during wk 6 and prior to autopsy for haematological and c
linical chemistry examination. All animals were monitored daily for ch
ange in clinical condition, and body weight and food intake were measu
red twice weekly. A range of tissues were preserved for histological e
xamination at autopsy. There was an initial drop in food intake by all
rats in the 1000 and 5000 ppm groups and thereafter the intake was be
tween 90% and 95% of that of the controls. In general, no other effect
s related to treatment were seen. On the basis of the lower body weigh
ts acid food intakes of the groups fed the alkaloid at levels of 1000
and 5000 ppm, a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 330 ppm is
seen under the conditions of this study. It is likely that these effe
cts are entirely due to the antipalatability effect of the lupin alkal
oids. In view of the growth rates, haematology, clinical chemistry and
histological findings, a speculative NOAEL of 1000 ppm may be more ap
propriate. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.