Safety evaluation of Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 251 - 258
• Main Authors: Szabo, Nancy J., Dolan, Laurie C., Burdock, George A., Shibano, Takashi, Sato, Shin-ichi, Suzuki, Hiroshi, Uesugi, Tohru, Yamahira, Satoko, Toba, Masamichi, Ueno, Hirofumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; blood chemistry; body weight; Chemical mutagenesis; Clastogenic; Escherichia coli; Female; fermented foods; Food Microbiology; Food toxicology; Genotoxic; genotoxicity; hematology; histopathology; Lactobacillus - physiology; Lactobacillus pentosus; Lethal Dose 50; Male; Medical sciences; Mutagenic; mutagenicity; Mutagenicity Tests; no observed adverse effect level; ophthalmology; oral administration; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Salmonella Typhimurium; subchronic toxicity; Toxicity; toxicity testing; Toxicology; urinalysis; MCV; PT; Rat; Toxicity; GLP; 2-AA; SD; AF-2; bw; IACUC; WFI; NaN3; MHW; b240; MPCE; AST; Genotoxic; Mutagenic; CP; 9-AA; AAALAC; LD50; APTT; L. pentosus; Lactobacillus pentosus; cfu; PCE; NOAEL; Clastogenic; A/G; Chromosomal aberration; Evaluation; Rodentia; Genotoxicity; Harmlessness; Mutagen; Strain; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Bacteria; Lactobacillaceae; Safety; Food; Lactobacillus
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.10.027

Lactobacillus pentosus has a long history of use in cooked and uncooked fermented foods. Viable and heat-killed nonviable preparations of L. pentosus strain b240 were evaluated for short term and subchronic toxicity and genotoxic potential. Dose levels were determined through acute oral toxicity tests with viable (LD50>2500mg/kg) and nonviable (LD50>2000mg/kg) b240. In the short term study, rats received 2500mg/kg/day (∼1.7×1011cfu/kg/day) viable b240 for 28days. In the subchronic study, rats received 500, 1000 or 2000mg/kg/day (up to ∼3.0×1012cfuequivalents/kg/day) nonviable b240 for 91days followed by a 28-day recovery. No mortalities occurred. No treatment-related effects were identified for general condition, body weight, food–water consumption, ophthalmology, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, organ weights, histopathology and gross pathology. Although statistically significant effects were noted for several endpoints in the short term and subchronic studies, none were related to the test materials. The NOAEL for nonviable b240 was 2000mg/kg/day, the highest dose tested. Additionally, nonviable b240 (⩽5000μg/plate) was not mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli tester strains nor did nonviable b240 orally administered to rats at levels⩽2000mg/kg/day for two days, induce a clastogenic response.