Evaluation of general toxicity and genotoxicity of the silkworm extract powder

Expanding horizons of iminosugars as broad-spectrum anti-virals: mechanism, efficacy and novel developments

Iminosugars, a class of polyhydroxylated cyclic alkaloids with intriguing properties, hold promising therapeutic potentials against a broad spectrum of enveloped viruses, including DENV, HCV, HIV, and influenza viruses. Mechanistically, iminosugars act as the competitive inhibitors of host endoplasmic reticular α-glucosidases I and II to  disrupt the proper folding of viral nascent glycoproteins, which thereby exerts antiviral effects. Remarkably, the glycoproteins of many enveloped viruses are significantly more dependent on the calnexin pathway of the protein folding than most host glycoproteins. Therefore, extensive interests and efforts have been devoted to exploit iminosugars as broad-spectrum antiviral agents. This review provides the summary and insights into the recent advancements in the development of novel iminosugars as effective and selective antiviral agents against a variety of enveloped viruses, as well as the understandings of their antiviral mechanisms.

Toxicological Evaluation Verifies the Safety of Oral Administration of Steamed Mature Silkworm Powder in Rats

Globally, the edible insect industry is emerging due to its potential contributions to food security and environmental sustainability. Edible insects are rapidly being integrated into the development of alternative foods and new pharmaceuticals. Silkworms, known for their high protein content, are not only a potential new source of human food and animal feed but have also been traditionally used for medicinal purposes. However, conventional silkworms are difficult to ingest. To address this, we have developed a steamed and freeze-dried mature silkworm larva powder (SMSP), and it is essential to investigate its potential toxicity and food safety for further studies and applications. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of SMSP. A toxicity assessment of SMSP was conducted according to OECD guidelines. An oral repeat-administration study was performed on male and female SD rats at doses of 625, 1250, and 2500 mg/kg/day for 4 and 13 weeks. No toxicological changes were observed in clinical signs, body weight, water and food intake, urine tests, hematology, clinical biochemistry, gross findings, or histopathological examination. In conclusion, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of SMSP was 2500 mg/kg/day, with no target organs identified in either sex of the rats. These results suggest that SMSP is safe, is without side effects and has potential for use as an edible ingredient and in health functional food applications.

Bombyx mori cocoon as a promising pharmacological agent: A review of ethnopharmacology, chemistry, and biological activities

Silk cocoon, naturally produced by silkworms scientifically named Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera, Bombycidae), is one of the well-known medicinal agents with several therapeutic activities. The present study aims to review the various aspects of the silk cocoon, including chemical composition, traditional uses, biological and biotechnological activities, and toxicological issues, to provide a scientific source for scholars. For this purpose, Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and traditional literature, were searched up to December 2021. According to the historical data, silk farming is acknowledged as one of the most ancient agricultural findings. The silk is generally composed of 75–83% fibroin, 17–25% sericin, and 1–5% non-sericin components, including secondary metabolites, wax, pigments, carbohydrates, and other impurities. Flavonoids, especially quercetin and kaempferol, alkaloids, coumarin derivatives, and phenolic acids, are among the secondary metabolites isolated from the silk cocoon. In recent years the biological properties of the silk cocoon, especially its major proteins, namely fibroin and sericin, have drawn special attention. Scientific literature has investigated several pharmacological effects of the silk cocoon and its ingredients, including cardioprotective, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemia, gastroprotective, as well as ameliorated skin health activities. In addition, it has been extensively taken into consideration in drug delivery and tissue engineering study fields. Furthermore, its toxicity is in acceptable range.

Supplementation ofBacillus amyloliquefaciensAS385 culture broth powder containing 1-deoxynojirimycin in a high-fat diet altered the gene expressions related to lipid metabolism and insulin signaling in mice epididymal white adipose tissue

Supplementation ofBacillus amyloliquefaciensAS385 culture broth powder in high-fat diet restored adiposity, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice.

Morus alba Leaf Bioactives Modulate Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor γ in the Kidney of Diabetic Rat and Impart Beneficial Effect

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated nuclear receptor that can be activated or repressed by several exogenous and endogenous ligands and acts by modulating genes that regulate lipid, glucose, and insulin homeostasis. In kidney, PPARγ is involved in normal kidney development and other physiological functions. In our earlier report, we showed that feeding Morus alba leaves to experimental diabetic rats ameliorated diabetic nephropathy and significantly decreased microalbuminuria. In this paper, we have attempted to look into the molecular mechanism involving PPARγ modulation by mulberry leaf bioactive compounds by in vitro and in vivo methods and its impact on key inflammatory markers. In vitro assay by TR-FRET suggested that mulberry leaf extracts can serve as a putative modulator of PPARγ. High glucose conditions in vitro and in vivo increased PPARγ levels, which were ameliorated by mulberry leaves or their extracts. Interestingly, PPARγ was significantly phosphorylated at Ser112 by upstream kinases ERK42/44 in kidney of diabetic animals on feeding mulberry leaves. In vitro studies using MDCK cell line revealed that increased Ser112 phosphorylation was observed when cells were treated with bound phenolic acid rich extract but not with free phenolic acid rich extracts. HPLC analysis and bioassay-guided activity revealed that coumaric acid was the bioactive molecule within bound phenolic acid rich extract that was responsible for increased ERK42/44-mediated phosphorylation at Ser112. Furthermore, mulberry leaf bioactive compounds showed beneficial effect on the tested inflammatory markers.

A 28-Day Repeated Dose Toxicological Study of an Aqueous Extract of Morus Alba L

Morus alba L. (white mulberry) leaves are one of the oldest recognized traditional Chinese medicines. More recently, M alba leaves and their constituents, particularly iminosugars (or azasugars), have garnered attention for their ability to maintain normal blood glucose concentrations, an effect identified in both animal studies and human clinical trials. Reducose (Phynova Group Limited) is a commercial water-soluble extract of M alba leaves standardized to 5% 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), an iminosugar with α-glucosidase inhibition properties. Although there is an extensive history of consumption of M alba leaves by humans and animals worldwide, suggesting that the leaves and their extracts have a relatively good safety profile, we are unaware of safety assessments on an extract containing a higher amount of DNJ than that occurs naturally. The current 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity study in rats, conducted according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines, was carried out to assess the safety of Reducose. Male and female Hsd.Han Wistar rats (4 groups of 10 animals/sex) were administered Reducose via gavage at doses of 0, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mg/kg body weight (bw)/d. No treatment-related mortality or adverse effects (per clinical observations, body weight/weight gain, food consumption, ophthalmoscopy, clinical pathology, gross pathology, organ weights, or histopathology) were observed, and no target organs were identified. The no observed adverse effect level was determined to be 4,000 mg/kg bw/d for both male and female rats, the highest dose tested.

The effect of hemoperfusion on patients with toxic encephalopathy induced by silkworm chrysalis ingestion

This study aims to determine therapeutic effect of hemoperfusion on patients with acute toxic encephalopathy induced by silkworm chrysalis ingestion. Three patients who developed toxic encephalopathy after chrysalis ingestion were analysed. Two patients lost their consciousness, while two patients had typical extrapyramidal tremor symptoms. Further neurological examination revealed various degrees of muscle strength impairment in these patients. All of them received treatments of omeprazole (40 mg/day), furosemide (one dose of 20 mg), vitamin C (2.0 g/day), calcium gluconate (2.0 g/day) and rehydration with glucose and sodium chloride (1500 ml/day). In addition, they received hemoperfusion treatment for 1.5 h. All patients recovered well after hemoperfusion. Two patients with loss of consciousness significantly recovered at 45 min and 65 min after hemoperfusion, respectively. All tremor symptoms were completely resolved in these patients at 30 min, 50 min, and 70 min following treatment, respectively. After the hemoperfusion treatment, encephalopathy symptoms of two patients had completely disappeared. All patients were followed up for one month and did not report any abnormalities. Our study indicates that hemoperfusion could be a useful and efficient treatment strategy for patients with acute encephalopathy after silkworm chrysalis ingestion. Larger clinical trials with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm the clinical benefit of hemoperfusion.

A systematic assessment of genotoxicity on pivaloylacylation-7ADCA-a wide existing antibiotic impurity

The safety of antibiotics has been becoming an important worldwide concern. As an inevitable and widespread existing impurity of β-lactam antibiotics, pivaloylacylation-7ADCA may has potential impact on drug safety. However, due to the restriction on traditional drug production technique, purified pivaloylacylation-7ADCA cannot be acquired and thus the toxicity of pivaloylacylation-7ADCA remains completely unknown. In this study, we firstly assessed the genotoxicity of newly purified pivaloylacylation-7ADCA. A series of well-designed experiments, including bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames assay), mouse lymphoma assay (TK gene mutation test), chromosomal aberration assay, in vivo mouse micronucleus test and single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay), were performed in genotoxicity assessment of pivaloylacylation-7ADCA at three different genetic endpoints, i.e. gene mutation, chromosome aberration or breakage, and DNA strand breaks. No genotoxicity were observed at all tested genetic endpoints, suggesting that pivaloylacylation-7ADCA has no mutagenic effect. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic assessment on the toxicity of newly synthesized pivaloylacylation-7ADCA, which should be an important part of the drug safety evaluation of β-lactam antibiotics. Moreover, our study is expected to serve as a reference for the genotoxicity assessment of other antibiotic impurities, by using purified impurity as test sample and by combining a group of well-designed genotoxic assays with different species, major genetic endpoints and in vivo/vitro tests.