{"title":"Teratogenic effect evaluation of Monascus red oral exposure to pregnant rats and their gut microbiota.","authors":"Yuenan Wang, Xuedan Xu, Yun Liu, Zhenfeng Huang, Hongxia Wang, Kexin Wang, Yayi Huang, Xinyu Yang, Tingting Sun, Jieling Wang, Jianbin Tan, Xingfen Yang, Min Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.108843","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Monascus red (MR) is widely used as a natural food colorant and preservative in East Asia. However, the potential effects of MR during pregnancy remains unknown. In this study, MR was administrated to Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at doses of 0, 0.50, 1.58, and 5.00g/kg bw on gestational days 6-15 by oral gavage. In the maternal and embryo-fetal examinations, there were no marked toxicities in terms of general clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, serum endocrine indices, organ weights, thyroid histopathology, examinations of uterine contents and fetuses. In the gut microbiota analysis, the 5.00g/kg bw dose of MR decreased the α diversity and slightly changed their community structure at the genus level. Yet no marked toxicities in maternal animals or embryo-fetal development were observed. The no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) of the maternal and developmental toxicity through oral exposure to MR was 5.00g/kg bw, the highest dose tested in rats.</p>","PeriodicalId":21137,"journal":{"name":"Reproductive toxicology","volume":" ","pages":"108843"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reproductive toxicology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.108843","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Monascus red (MR) is widely used as a natural food colorant and preservative in East Asia. However, the potential effects of MR during pregnancy remains unknown. In this study, MR was administrated to Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at doses of 0, 0.50, 1.58, and 5.00g/kg bw on gestational days 6-15 by oral gavage. In the maternal and embryo-fetal examinations, there were no marked toxicities in terms of general clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, serum endocrine indices, organ weights, thyroid histopathology, examinations of uterine contents and fetuses. In the gut microbiota analysis, the 5.00g/kg bw dose of MR decreased the α diversity and slightly changed their community structure at the genus level. Yet no marked toxicities in maternal animals or embryo-fetal development were observed. The no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) of the maternal and developmental toxicity through oral exposure to MR was 5.00g/kg bw, the highest dose tested in rats.
期刊介绍:
Drawing from a large number of disciplines, Reproductive Toxicology publishes timely, original research on the influence of chemical and physical agents on reproduction. Written by and for obstetricians, pediatricians, embryologists, teratologists, geneticists, toxicologists, andrologists, and others interested in detecting potential reproductive hazards, the journal is a forum for communication among researchers and practitioners. Articles focus on the application of in vitro, animal and clinical research to the practice of clinical medicine.
All aspects of reproduction are within the scope of Reproductive Toxicology, including the formation and maturation of male and female gametes, sexual function, the events surrounding the fusion of gametes and the development of the fertilized ovum, nourishment and transport of the conceptus within the genital tract, implantation, embryogenesis, intrauterine growth, placentation and placental function, parturition, lactation and neonatal survival. Adverse reproductive effects in males will be considered as significant as adverse effects occurring in females. To provide a balanced presentation of approaches, equal emphasis will be given to clinical and animal or in vitro work. Typical end points that will be studied by contributors include infertility, sexual dysfunction, spontaneous abortion, malformations, abnormal histogenesis, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, behavioral abnormalities, and perinatal mortality.