28-day repeated oral toxicity study of a hypolipidemic agent, NK-104 in rats

Effect of Coenzyme Q10 and green tea on plasma and liver lipids, platelet aggregation, TBARS production and erythrocyte Na leak in simvastatin treated hypercholesterolmic rats

This study was conducted to investigate the hypocholesterolemic effect of simvastatin (30 mg/kg BW) and antioxidant effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, 15 mg/kg BW) or green tea (5%) on erythrocyte Na leak, platelet aggregation and TBARS production in hypercholesterolemic rats treated with statin. Food efficiency ratio (FER, ADG/ADFI) was decreased in statin group and increased in green tea group, and the difference between these two groups was significant (p<0.05). Plasma total cholesterol was somewhat increased in all groups with statin compared with control. Plasma triglyceride was decreased in statin group and increased in groups of CoQ10 and green tea, and the difference between groups of statin and green tea was significant (p<0.05). Liver total cholesterol was not different between the control and statin group, but was significantly decreased in the group with green tea compared with other groups (p<0.05). Liver triglyceride was decreased in groups of statin and green tea compared with the control, and the difference between groups of the control and green tea was significant (p<0.05). Platelet aggregation of both the initial slope and the maximum was not significantly different, but the group with green tea tended to be higher in initial slope and lower in the maximum. Intracellular Na of group with green tea was significantly higher than the control or statin group (p<0.05). Na leak in intact cells was significantly decreased in the statin group compared with the control (p<0.05). Na leak in AAPH treated cells was also significantly reduced in the statin group compared with groups of the control and CoQ10 (p<0.05). TBARS production in platelet rich plasma was significantly decreased in the groups with CoQ10 and green tea compared with the control and statin groups (p<0.05). TBARS of liver was significantly decreased in the group with green tea compared with the statin group (p<0.05). In the present study, even a high dose of statin did not show a cholesterol lowering effect, therefore depletion of CoQ10 following statin treatment in rats is not clear. More clinical studies are needed for therapeutic use of CoQ10 as an antioxidant in prevention of degenerative diseases independent of statin therapy.

Histopathology of rainbow trout exposed to sublethal concentrations of methiocarb or endosulfan

Liver, spleen, trunk kidney, gills, and brain of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were examined histologically after exposure to different concentrations of methiocarb (2.5 and 3.75 mg/L) or endosulfan (0.6 and 1.3 micro g/L) for 21 days. Histological recovery was also studied by maintaining the pesticide-exposed fish in a freshwater system for an additional 30 d. Lesions were not evident in liver, kidney, spleen, or brain of fish exposed to either concentration of methiocarb for 21 d. Lesions were observed in gills, liver, spleen, and trunk kidney (but not brain) of rainbow trout exposed to either concentration of endosulfan. There was no concentration-related effect observed on the histopathological lesions. After 30 days of recovery, fish had no histological lesions in gills, kidney, spleen, liver, or brain. Therefore all the changes observed during exposure were reversible.

Histopathologic findings after treatment with different oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) inhibitors in hamsters and dogs

In order to investigate the toxicity of oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) inhibitors, hamsters and dogs were treated up to 13 weeks with three different agents of this compound class. Subacute treatment (< or = 4 weeks) of hamsters and dogs with OSC inhibitors produced a similar spectrum of histopathologic lesions, which have previously been described for compounds of this pharmacological class. In the hamster, other lesions were produced only after subchronic treatment (13 weeks). After subacute treatment, histopathologic findings were observed in the eye, skin and forestomach. Lesions in the eye were characterized as proliferation, swelling and degeneration of lens fiber cells. This finding was considered to be an early stage in cataract development. In the skin and forestomach, squamous cell hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis accompanied by a mixed inflammation was observed. After subchronic treatment of hamsters, histopathologic findings were observed in the eye, skin, forestomach, testes, epididymides, prostate gland, seminal vesicles and long bones. Lesions in the eye were characterized as cataracts. Squamous cell hyperplasia accompanied by a diffuse hyperkeratosis and a mixed inflammation was seen in the skin and forestomach epithelium. In addition, testes lesions were characterized as testicular atrophy, generalized germ cell depletion, germ cell degeneration and tubular collapse. Atrophy, oligospermia and lumenal germ cells/cell debris were found in the epididymides. The prostate gland and seminal vesicles were decreased in size (atrophy). The bone lesions were characterized as a failure of enchondral ossification causing variable widening of the growth plate and a failure to form primary bone trabecula (lesions resemble those found in rickets). To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the toxicity of OSC inhibitors after subchronic treatment in hamsters and dogs. As all adverse effects described in this report are considered to be due to an exaggeration of the desired biochemical mechanism of action at high dose levels, a decrease of the systemic exposure by the use of more hepatoselective OSC inhibitors is expected to reduce the probability of these adverse effects in humans.

Oral toxicity of a tocotrienol preparation in rats

Tocotrienols are added as antioxidants to food. As there have been no reports of toxicological evaluation, a 13-week oral toxicity study was performed in Fischer 344 rats of both sexes at dose levels of 0 (group 1), 0.19 (group 2), 0.75 (group 3) and 3% (group 4) of a preparation in powdered diet. Suppression of body weight gain was observed in group 4 males. On hematological examination, significant decrease in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was observed in all treated males. Platelets were significantly reduced in group 3 and 4 males. Hemoglobin concentration, MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were significantly decreased in group 3 and 4 females and hematocrit in group 4 females. On serum biochemical examination, increase in the albumin/globulin ratio (A/G) and alkaline phosphatase in all treated males, elevated alanine transaminase in group 4 of both sexes and increases in asparagine transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transaminase in group 4 females were observed. With regard to relative organ weights, liver weights in group 4 of both sexes and adrenal weights in all treated males demonstrated an increase, and ovary and uterus weights in group 4 females were reduced. Histopathologically, slight hepatocellular hypertrophy in group 3 and 4 males, and reduction of cytoplasmic vacuolation in the adrenal cortical region in group 4 males were observed. Because of pathological changes in male liver and hematological changes in females, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was concluded to be 0.19% in the diet (120 mg/kg body weight/day for male rats and 130 mg/kg body weight/day for female rats). As a decrease in MCV, an increase in the A/G, elevation of alkaline phosphatase and increase in adrenal weight were observed in all treated males, a no-observed-effect level (NOEL) could not be determined in this examination.