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Docosahexaenoic acid status of term infants fed breast milk or infant formula containing soy oil or corn oil.

The objective of this study was to compare circulating lipid docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3), DHA] levels in term infants fed a powdered (CORN oil) or liquid (SOY oil) infant formula or human milk (HM). Infants whose mothers chose not to breast feed were randomly assigned to the CORN or SOY formula group. The formula fat differed in linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)] content: it was 0.8% for the CORN and 4.8% for the SOY. Linoleic acid [18:2(n-6)] was 31.5 and 34.2% fatty acids in the CORN and SOY formula, respectively. The formulas or HM were fed from birth through 8 wk of age, and growth and the plasma and red blood cell (RBC) phospholipid fatty acid composition was determined at 3 d, 4 wk, and 8 wk of age. Growth did not differ among groups. The plasma phospholipid and RBC phosphatidylethanolamine DHA was similar in the CORN and SOY formula groups at all ages. Plasma and RBC phosphatidylethanolamine levels of DHA were significantly lower in infants fed the CORN or SOY formula than in infants fed HM during wk 4 and 8. Plasma and RBC 22:5(n-6) was not increased in the formula groups at any age. The formula content of linolenic acid had no effect on the RBC or plasma DHA levels of the infants. The biologic or functional significance of the lower plasma and RBC DHA in infants fed formula rather than HM is unknown. The need for a dietary source of DHA and specificity of plasma or RBC phospholipid DHA as a measure of desaturation and elongation of linolenic acid in developing organs remains uncertain.

Corn Oil↗

A comparison of fish oil or corn oil supplements in hyperlipidemic subjects with NIDDM.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects on blood lipids and glycemic control of fish oil and corn oil supplementation at two levels in subjects with hyperlipidemia and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Forty subjects (18 men and 22 women; aged 53.9 +/- 7.0 years) with NIDDM and hyperlipidemia were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: 9 g of fish oil, 18 g of fish oil, 9 g of corn oil, or 18 g of corn oil daily supplementation for 12 weeks. RESULTS: The level of oil supplements (9 g compared with 18 g) did not have a significant effect within each oil group on glycemic control and lipids. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in lipids were found when the 9-g and 18-g groups were combined. In subjects consuming fish oil, plasma very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol (P = 0.0001), plasma triglyceride (TG) (P = 0.0001), and plasma VLDL TGs (P = 0.02 at 6 weeks and P = 0.0001 at 12 weeks) were significantly lowered compared with subjects consuming corn oil. Plasma VLDL cholesterol increased across time in the corn oil group (P = 0.04). Plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was temporarily increased (P = 0.008) in the fish oil group at 6 weeks, but the effect was no longer present at 12 weeks. No significant differences between fish oil- or corn oil-supplemented diets were found in total plasma cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated HbA1c, weight, and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, fish oil supplementation improved plasma VLDL cholesterol, VLDL TGs, and total TGs while having a transient deterioration in LDL cholesterol in subjects with NIDDM. Furthermore, fish oil supplementation had no significant deleterious effect on glycemic control.

Blood Glucose↗

Weekly digestibilities of diets supplemented with corn oil, lard or tallow by weanling swine.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate supplementation of diets with 8% corn oil, lard or tallow. In Exp. 1, 36 barrows weaned at 21 d of age were used to evaluate the effects of these three diets on digestibilities of fat and dry matter and subsequent N retentions from wk 1 to 4 postweaning. In Exp. 2, 147 weanling pigs in six replicates were used to evaluate weekly growth and feed performance measurements when fed these same diets for a 4-wk postweaning period. A large quantity of fat was absorbed (P less than .01) during wk 1 postweaning by pigs fed the corn oil diet, with the quantity absorbed similar for the three sources of fat from wk 2 to 4. Diets with corn oil had a higher apparent fat digestibility than diets supplemented with lard or tallow during each week postweaning (P less than .05). Apparent digestibility of fat increased (P less than .01) for each fat source each week postweaning but appeared to reach a plateau by wk 3 postweaning. Differences in apparent digestibility of fat between fat sources narrowed from wk 1 to wk 4, with digestibility of corn oil increasing from 79 to 89% and of animal fat sources increasing from 67 to 84%. Apparent digestibility of dry matter tended (P less than .10) to be highest when corn oil was provided during the initial 2-wk postweaning period. Although N retention was highest during wk 1 postweaning when the corn oil was fed, this response was attributed to the higher feed intakes of pigs fed this diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗

Effect of oil content and kernel processing of corn silage on digestibility and milk production by dairy cows.

Corn silages were produced from a high oil corn hybrid and from its conventional hybrid counterpart and were harvested with a standard silage chopper or a chopper equipped with a kernel processing unit. High oil silages had higher concentrations of fatty acids (5.5 vs. 3.4% of dry matter) and crude protein (8.4 vs. 7.5% of dry matter) than the conventional hybrid. Processed silage had larger particle size than unprocessed silage, but more starch was found in small particles for processed silage. Dry matter intake was not influenced by treatment (18.4 kg/d), but yield of fat-corrected milk (23.9 vs. 22.6 kg/d) was increased by feeding high oil silage. Overall, processing corn silage did not affect milk production, but cows fed processed conventional silage tended to produce more milk than did cows fed unprocessed conventional silage. Milk protein percent, but not yield, was reduced with high oil silage. Milk fat percent, but not yield, was higher with processed silage. Overall, processed silage had higher starch digestibility, but the response was much greater for the conventional silage hybrid. The concentration of total digestible nutrients (TDN) tended to be higher for diets with high oil silage (71.6 vs. 69.9%) and tended to be higher for processed silage than unprocessed silage (71.7 vs. 69.8%), but an interaction between variety and processing was observed. Processing conventional corn silage increased TDN to values similar to high oil corn silage but processing high oil corn silage did not influence TDN.

Animals↗

Factors affecting poor performance and scours in preruminant calves fed corn oil.

A 4-wk study with 12 3-d-old calves compared the effect of feeding tallow, corn oil, or corn oil plus aspirin on calf performance, feed utilization, incidence of scours, and composition of blood plasma lipids. Aspirin treatment was to inhibit a possible role of prostaglandins in promoting scours. Calves given both corn oil treatments had lower average daily gain, feed efficiency, and higher incidence of scours than those fed tallow. Unexpectedly, corn oil produced appreciably less scours in calves than encountered in previous studies. This appeared to be related to the fat dispersion method used here, which produced much smaller fat globules (less than 1 micron vs. 10 to 20 microns). Over-production of prostaglandins from corn oil was not a causative factor in scours development. Arachidonic acid and other linoleic acid prostaglandin precursors in blood plasma cholesteryl esters and phosphatidylcholine were reduced by dietary corn oil. Aspirin, a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, was ineffective in reducing scours.

Animals↗

Murine fetal development enhanced by dietary vitamin A, corn oil, and inositol.

Previous work on the effects of dietary vitamin A on craniofacial anomalies in mice revealed that 18-day-old fetuses from dams given 200 IU of vitamin A in corn oil daily in their diet weighed approximately 10% more than fetuses from mothers fed the unsupplemented standard mouse diet, Purina 5001. In the experiments reported here, it has been found that water-soluble vitamin A (200 IU/day) and myo-inositol (5 mg/day) added separately to the diets of pregnant mice increased the weight of 11-day gestations by approximately 25% and enhanced development of the eyes by the equivalent of 0.5-1.0 day without significantly affecting development of the liver or hind limbs. Corn oil alone (0.2 ml/day) had a similar effect on weight and eye development of 11-day fetuses and, in addition, growth of the hind limbs was enhanced modestly. The addition to the diet of vitamin A (200 IU/day) dissolved in corn oil (0.2 ml/day) resulted in a 25% increase in the weight of the 11-day fetuses and enhanced development of the eyes and hind limbs by the equivalent of about 1 day of gestation, suggesting that corn oil contains a factor(s) that interacts with vitamin A to accelerate limb development. Corn oil contains very small quantities of beta-carotene or retinol (< 1.0 IU vitamin A/ml); however, it is a rich source of the essential growth factors linoleic and linolenic acids and of inositol esters. The data suggest that the growth-promoting actions of dietary corn oil are due in part to the inositol esters.

Animals↗

Long-term feeding of corn oil, beef tallow, or menhaden oil and eicosanoid levels in BHE/cdb rats.

The effects of long-term feeding of 2 or 10% fat diets containing corn oil, beef tallow, or menhaden oil on the levels of eicosanoids in brain, plasma, and kidney medulla were studied. Male BHE/cdb rats, which carry a genetic trait for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, were fed these diets for 9 mo, at which time their glucose tolerance levels were determined, as were brain, kidney medulla, and plasma levels of PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and LTB4. Glucose tolerance was abnormal in the 2 and 10% corn oil groups and normal in the 10% menhaden oil groups. The glucose tolerance levels of the other groups were only slightly disturbed. The levels of LTB4 in kidney and plasma were not affected by dietary fat type or amount. LTB4 levels were significantly higher in the brains of rats fed a low level of beef tallow than in the brains of rats fed a higher level of beef tallow or a low level of menhaden or corn oil. LTB4 values for the brains of rats fed the other diets were intermediate and not different from the aforementioned values. The levels of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha were highest in rats fed the 10% corn oil diet regardless of the tissue assayed. Rats fed the 2 or 10% beef tallow or menhaden oil were not different but had lower levels of this eicosanoid metabolite than rats fed the corn oil diet. PGE2 levels followed the same pattern, suggesting that the impaired glucose tolerance of the corn oil-fed rats had a strong influence on the tissue levels of these eicosanoids.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Effect of lard and corn oil intake on serum lipids in young men.

An experimental diet with lard (30 g/day for 7 days) and corn oil (30 g/day for 7 days) on high carbohydrate (basal diet) was given to four healthy Japanese young men and the effect of diets containing different fat on serum lipids was examined. Serum total cholesterol was increased significantly from a basal diet of 106 +/- 23 to 141 +/- 26 mg/dl on lard diet, and then decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 111 +/- 22 mg/dl on corn oil diet. Serum triglycerides increased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 66 +/- 38 to 173 +/- 32 mg/dl on basal diet. Serum HDL-cholesterol was decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 41.9 +/- 1.6 to 31.2 +/- 3.8 mg/dl on lard diet and increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 41.9 +/- 4.6 mg/dl on corn oil diet. Serum HDL-cholesterol fraction was decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 41.6 +/- 4.9 to 28.1 +/- 3.2% on basal diets, but increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 44.3 +/- 3.1% on lard diet, and then decreased to 36.3 +/- 2.5% on corn oil diet. Serum HDL phospholipid fraction decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) from 62.5 +/- 6.7 to 50.7 +/- 1.8% on basal diet and increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 60.4 +/- 1.0% on lard and corn oil diet. Serum phospholipids did not change by experimental diets. It is concluded that lard and corn oil have different and specific roles in lipid metabolism.

Adult↗

Absence of an effect of dietary corn oil content on plasma prolactin, progesterone, and 17 beta-estradiol in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Enhancement of mammary tumorigenesis in rats by high-fat diets has been postulated to be due to altered hormonal status. Elevated serum prolactin and, in some cases, estrogen have been reported in rats fed diets high in corn oil or lard that increase 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) tumorigenesis. However, we have found no difference in plasma prolactin during the proestrus surge or at the other stages of the estrous cycle in rats fed a diet high (24%) in corn oil that augments DMBA-induced tumorigenesis or a control diet containing 5% corn oil. There was no effect of the same dietary treatment on plasma progesterone or serum estradiol in the same experiments. In addition, we found that DMBA administration did not change the blood concentration of any of the three hormones. Female Sprague-Dawley rats, bearing atrial cannulae and given a carcinogenic dose of DMBA at 8 weeks of age, were studied 2 to 5 weeks or 10 to 13 weeks after DMBA administration. Rats given only the oil vehicle for DMBA were studied at the same ages. Blood samples were taken from rats with 4-day estrous cycles at 3-hr intervals on the day of proestrus and at 6- to 12-hr intervals on the other days of the cycle. No effect of dietary corn oil content or of DMBA administration on plasma prolactin and progesterone was detected in either age group. On the afternoon of proestrus, rats were sampled more frequently to examine the hormonal patterns in detail; again, no dietary effect was detected. Serum estradiol was measured in rats that were fed the control or high-corn-oil diets, treated with DMBA or vehicle, and decapitated on one of the 4 days of the estrous cycle. There was no detectable effect of dietary corn oil content or DMBA treatment during any stage of the cycle. All three hormones showed qualitative and quantitative patterns identical to normal cycling rats at both ages studied. Our results indicate that earlier reports of an effect of dietary fat on blood prolactin and estrogen content may have been due either to diets low in essential fatty acids or to anesthesia-induced hormonal responses.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗

Fumonisin exposure to Kansans through consumption of corn-based market foods.

Fumonisins are secondary metabolites of the fungus Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon, a common corn contaminant world wide. Presently 6 different fumonisins (FB1, FB2, FB3, FB4, FA1 and FA2) have been identified and characterized. In veterinary medicine fumonisins cause equine leucoencephalomalacia and swine pulmonary edema. In addition, fumonisins have been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals and have been linked to human esophageal cancer in South Africa and China. In this study we examined the prevalence of FB1, FB2 and FB3 in corn-based human foods in Kansas using HPLC equipped with a fluorescent detector. All 3 fumonisins were detected in at least 1 food item. However, only 24/121 samples analyzed (20%), contained detectable (> 40 ppb) fumonisins. Corn flour was the most frequently contaminated as 13/25 items (52%) were positive for fumonisins. For all analyzed human foods, the range of fumonisins was 42-350 ppb in comparison to 765-9953 ppb found in corn meant for animal consumption. This data shows that corn flour is the item most likely to be contaminated with low concentrations of fumonisins. Corn-based foods do not appear a significant source of fumonisins for Kansans although the implications to human health of these low levels are unknown.

Animal Feed↗

Phytosterols partially explain differences in cholesterol metabolism caused by corn or olive oil feeding.

To examine whether phytosterols in polyunsaturated oils account for their differential action on lipid metabolism compared with monounsaturated oils, 16 normolipidemic individuals consumed three 10-day experimental diets containing corn oil (high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols), olive oil (high in monounsaturated fatty acids and low in phytosterols), or olive oil supplemented with phytosterols given at twice the level naturally found in corn oil (high in monounsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols). Plasma total cholesterol concentrations after both the olive oil and the olive oil-phytosterol treatments were higher (P < 0.001) than those after the corn oil treatment. Olive oil treatment resulted in greater (P < 0.05) plasma LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations compared to corn oil treatment. Addition of the phytosterol mixture to the olive oil diet resulted in suppression of the significant differences in LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations between corn and olive oil. Free cholesterol fractional synthetic rates determined by deuterium incorporation were lower (P < 0.05) with olive oil treatment compared to corn oil treatment; the significance of this difference was abolished with the addition of phytosterols to the olive oil diet. These results suggest that phytosterols are partly responsible for the differences in plasma cholesterol levels and synthesis observed between polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils.

Adult↗

Predicted impact of transgenic, herbicidetolerant corn on drinking water quality in vulnerable watersheds of the mid-western USA.

In the intensely farmed corn-growing regions of the mid-western USA, surface waters have often been contaminated by herbicides, principally as a result of rainfall runoff occurring shortly after application of these to corn and other crops. In some vulnerable watersheds, water quality criteria for chronic human exposure through drinking water are occasionally exceeded. We selected three settings representative of vulnerable corn-region watersheds, and used the PRZM-EXAMS model with the Index Reservoir scenario to predict corn herbicide concentrations in the reservoirs as a function of herbicide properties and use pattern, site characteristics and weather in the watersheds. We compared herbicide application scenarios, including broadcast surface pre-plant atrazine and alachlor applications with a glyphosate pre-plant application, scenarios in which losses of herbicides were mitigated by incorporation or banding, and scenarios in which only glyphosate or glufosinate post-emergent herbicides were used with corn genetically modified to be resistant to them. In the absence of drift, in almost all years a single runoff event dominates the input into the reservoir. As a result, annual average pesticide concentrations are highly correlated with annual maximum daily values. The modeled concentrations were generally higher than those derived from monitoring data, even for no-drift model scenarios. Because of their lower post-emergent application rates and greater soil sorptivity, glyphosate and glufosinate loads in runoff were generally one-fifth to one-tenth those of atrazine and alachlor. These model results indicate that the replacement of pre-emergent corn herbicides with the post-emergent herbicides allowed by genetic modification of crops would dramatically reduce herbicide concentrations in vulnerable watersheds. Given the significantly lower chronic mammalian toxicity of these compounds, and their vulnerability to breakdown in the drinking water treatment process, risks to human populations through drinking water would also be reduced.

Acetamides↗

Induced cytotoxicity and cell proliferation in the hepatocarcinogenicity of chloroform in female B6C3F1 mice: comparison of administration by gavage in corn oil vs ad libitum in drinking water.

Chloroform increases the incidence of liver tumors in B6C3F1 mice when administered in by gavage in corn oil, but not when given in the drinking water at similar daily doses. Since cytotoxicity and regenerative cell proliferation have been implicated in the tumorigenic process for this nongenotoxic agent, these effects of chloroform in corn oil and drinking water were evaluated under conditions similar to the two bioassays. Female B6C3F1 mice were administered oral doses of 0, 3, 10, 34, 90, 238, or 477 mg/kg chloroform dissolved in corn oil 5 days/week for periods of 4 days or 3 weeks, or were continually exposed to chloroform in the drinking water at concentrations of 0, 60, 200, 400, 900, or 1800 ppm for 4 days or 3 weeks, at which time they were necropsied. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was delivered via osmotic pumps implanted 3.5 days prior to necropsy. Cell proliferation was evaluated as the percentage of hepatocytes that entered S-phase over 3.5 days (labeling index, LI), measured by immunohistochemical detection of BrdU incorporated into the DNA. Dose-dependent changes included centrilobular necrosis and markedly elevated LI in mice given 238 or 477 mg/kg chloroform in corn oil (the average daily doses that produced tumors in the cancer bioassay). The no-observed-effect level for histopathological changes was 10 mg/kg/day and for induced cell proliferation was 34 mg/kg/day for chloroform given in corn oil. Chloroform given in the drinking water did not increase the hepatic LI after either 4 days or 3 weeks in any of the dose groups, nor were any microscopic alterations observed in the livers, even though the cumulative daily amount of chloroform ingested in the 1800-ppm exposure group was 329 mg/kg/day. The sustained increase in LI in the livers of mice administered hepatocarcinogenic doses of chloroform in corn oil, but not for chloroform in drinking water, is evidence that chloroform-induced mouse liver cancer is secondary to events associated with induced cytolethality and cell proliferation. The triggering of these effects appears to be dependent on both the rate and duration of chloroform delivery to the target tissues. Thus, the most straightforward risk assessment for chloroform for this tissue would assign no increased cancer risk for dosing regimens that do not induce cytolethality and cell proliferation.

Administration, Oral↗

The corn inhibitor of activated Hageman factor: purification and properties of two recombinant forms of the protein.

A cDNA clone that encodes the 14-kDa bifunctional inhibitor from corn seeds (L. Wen et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 18, 813-814, 1992) has been expressed in Escherichia coli after being incorporated into the pT7 expression vector. This inhibitor protein, referred to as CHFI (for the corn inhibitor of activated Hageman factor) or as the popcorn inhibitor, is an important tool for specific inhibition of human activated Hageman factor (activated forms of coagulation Factor XII) and has been well characterized as isolated from corn seeds. Recombinant CHFI was expressed in E. coli in high levels but was insoluble. We solubilized the expressed protein by sonication in 5 M urea and 1% Triton X-100. Several steps of purification, culminating with reversed-phase HPLC, yielded pure, recombinant corn inhibitor in about 5% yield (about 1 mg per liter of culture). The form with which we have worked most, 7N-CHFI, contains 7 amino acid residues at its N-terminus that are encoded by the expression vector. Physical properties of this recombinant protein indicate it has the expected mass and is properly folded. Functionally, 7N-CHFI is indistinguishable from the inhibitor isolated from corn seeds in its inhibition of porcine trypsin, human beta-Factor XIIa, failure to inhibit human plasma kallikrein, and its inhibition of an insect alpha-amylase. A second recombinant form, (4N-11)-CHFI, which lacks 11 residues from the corn inhibitor's N-terminus, is indistinguishable from 7N-CHFI in its pattern of inhibition of the three test proteinases but is inactive against the insect alpha-amylase. This suggests that the N-terminal region of 7N-CHFI forms at least part of the protein's site of interaction with alpha-amylase.

Base Sequence↗

Monoclonal antibody-based immunoaffinity chromatography for purifying corn and squash NADH: nitrate reductases. Evidence for an interchain disulfide bond in nitrate reductase.

NADH: nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1) (NR) is present in small amounts in plant tissues and its polypeptide in inherently labile. Consequently, NR is difficult to purify. We have generated 20 monoclonal antibodies (McAb) for corn and squash NR and selected two for use in immunoaffinity chromatography. Squash McAb CM 15(11) and corn McAb ZM 2(69)9, which both bind corn and squash NR, were covalently coupled to Sepharose and used for purification of NR with elution of the purified enzyme by a pH 11 buffer. Although this procedure yielded highly purified NR, its activity was diminished by the pH 11 treatment. When corn leaf crude extract was applied to McAb CM 15(11)-Sepharose, NR bound and could be eluted in homogeneous form by its substrate, NADH. Corn leaf NR prepared by substrate elution retained a high level of NADH: NR activity. Immunoaffinity-purified corn and squash NR were shown to have an interchain disulfide bond as well as a reactive thiol group. These results are discussed in relation to the recently obtained sequences of NR clones and suggestions made for site-directed mutagenesis experiments to aid in identifying the cysteine residues of NR associated with these features of the enzyme.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Corn as a source of mycotoxins in Indonesian poultry feeds and the effectiveness of visual examination methods for detecting contamination.

Every truck load of corn (n = 52) entering and every batch of poultry feed (n = 290) leaving a Bogor feedmill over one year was analysed for aflatoxins, zearalenone, ochratoxin A and sterigmatocystin. Fifty loads of corn and 274 of the batches of chicken feed contained aflatoxins. Zearalenone was detected in 11 corn samples but was not found in the formulated feed. Ochratoxin A was detected in one corn sample, but not in feed. Corn can account for all of the aflatoxin in the feed since levels were always lower in the finished product. There was no quantitative association between the proportion of bright green-yellow fluorescent, purple or mouldy kernels and the mycotoxin contents of the composite samples. Nevertheless, the absence of abnormal kernels indicates higher quality corn since the highest levels of mycotoxins occurred in the abnormal kernels.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Subchronic toxicological investigations of Fusarium moniliforme-contaminated corn, culture material, and ammoniated culture material.

The fungus Fusarium moniliforme is ubiquitous on corn throughout the world and is a likely co-contaminant on corn infested with aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus. Ammoniation has been used to detoxify aflatoxin-contaminated commodities. To determine the effect of ammoniation on the toxic potential of Fusarium moniliforme, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either diets containing 10% sound corn, ammoniated corn, corn culture material of hepatotoxic F. moniliforme strain MRC 826 (CM), or ammoniated CM for four weeks. They were observed for signs of toxicity and hematological, serum chemical and histopathological evaluations were made. Groups of male Balb/c mice were fed diets fortifies with 10% sound corn or CM for four weeks and evaluated by serum chemical and histopathological means to determine the suitability of mice as a model species for investigation of F. moniliforme-induced hepatotoxicity. Ammoniation was ineffective for detoxification of the CM. Hepatotoxicity and renal toxicity of CM and ammoniated CM were qualitatively similar, although renal tubular lesions appeared more advanced in rats fed ammoniated CM. Adrenal cortical cellular vacuolation was also found in CM and ammoniated CM-fed rats, while focal seminiferous tubular degeneration and aspermia were found only in the testes of ammoniated CM-fed rats. Fumonisin B1 concentrations of the CM and ammoniated CM diets averaged 99 and 75 ppm, respectively. CM containing 99 ppm fumonisin B1 also produced hepatotoxicity in mice similar to that found in CM-fed rats. Thus, mice may be useful for investigations of F. moniliforme-induced hepatotoxicity.

Ammonia↗

Quantitation of steryl ferulate and p-coumarate esters from corn and rice.

The principal steryl ferulate and p-coumarate esters of different fractions from processed corn brans and corn oils, unrefined and refined, and from rice bran and rice bran oil were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results show that hexane-extracted corn oils yield more than five times the amount of esters compared to expeller processed oils. The yields of esters from bran and related products ranged from 0.07 to 0.54 mg/g of bran. Unrefined corn oils had levels from 0.18 to 8.6 mg/g for oil from hexane-extracted bran. By comparison, rice bran had ester levels of 3.4 mg/g of bran, and rice bran oil had levels of 15.7 mg/g of oil. The predominant esters from corn were sitostanyl and campestanyl ferulate, and sitostanyl and campestanyl p-coumarate. The principal esters from rice bran were cycloartenyl, 24-methylenecycloartanyl, and campesteryl ferulate. Rice bran oils had low levels of 24-methylenecycloartanyl but high levels of cyclobranol esters. The data presented provide a direct comparison of steryl ferulate and p-coumarate levels in the two cereals, and will aid in selecting the most suitable sources for the isolation of these compounds from corn products.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗