Measuring Serum Toxicity Markers to Evaluate the Safety of Commercially Available Spirulina Products in Mice
| dc.creator | Damessa, Feven Tezera | |
| dc.creator | Chacha, Musa | |
| dc.creator | Vianney, John-Mary | |
| dc.creator | Raymond, Jofrey | |
| dc.date | 2021-05-04T06:16:29Z | |
| dc.date | 2021-05-04T06:16:29Z | |
| dc.date | 2021-03-20 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-10-25T09:20:51Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-10-25T09:20:51Z | |
| dc.description | This research article published by Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 2021 | |
| dc.description | Spirulina a multicellular, blue-green alga has drawn attention as a viable food supplement due to its suitable nutrient composition, however, there is a dearth of information regarding its safety. This study aimed to measure the heavy metal concentrations in commercially available Spirulina products and evaluate the safety using the in vivo method. A total of 54 mice were randomly divided into three groups; Group 1 (n = 18) served as a control and received a basal diet. Group 2 (n = 20) served as a test and received Spirulina powder (15%) blended with a basal diet. Group 3 (n = 16) serves as a standard and received a basal diet supplemented with nutritional supplements. The findings showed that the concentration of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, cystatin C, and troponin I after consuming the experimental diets was not statistically different between groups (p > 0.05). The concentrations of mercury (0.000036 mg/kg), lead (0.0047 mg/kg), cadmium (0.00048 mg/kg), and arsenic (0.0046 mg/kg) was very little to cause toxic effect and the levels were below the European Communities Commission (EC) recommended maximum heavy metal levels in foodstuffs. Therefore, consumption of Spirulina at a proportion of 15% does not exert any hepatic, renal, and cardiac toxicities in the mice. However, evaluating the safety of higher doses (> 15%) is required. | |
| dc.format | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.9.1.33 | |
| dc.identifier | https://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/20.500.12479/1162 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/95301 | |
| dc.language | en | |
| dc.publisher | Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science | |
| dc.subject | Heavy Metal | |
| dc.subject | Toxicity Marker | |
| dc.title | Measuring Serum Toxicity Markers to Evaluate the Safety of Commercially Available Spirulina Products in Mice |