• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 1993

F. moniliforme MRC 826, a common fungal contaminant of com, has been known to produce a group of mycotoxins, the fumonisins. By thin layer chromatography, fumonisin $B_{1}$ was detected in the F. moniliforme MRC 826 com culture material(CM) extracts. This study was performed to compare the toxicity and carcinogenicity of F. moniliforme MRC 826 CM with those of aflatoxin $B_1(AFB_1)$ in rats. The toxicity was tested over a period of 7 days in ten female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Treatment group were fed a 1 : 1 mixture(wt/wt) of ground CM and basal diet in powder form, while other negative control group were given basal diet alone. The principal pathological changes in rats treated with 50% CM were hepatocellular hydropic degeneration and renal tubular necrosis. The cancer-promoting activity of CM was evaluated in the rat liver diethylnitrosamine-two thirds partial hepatectomy(DEN-PH) model for carcinogenesis. 70 male SO rats(ca. 170 g) were randomized into 5 groups. Group I served as the positive controls and received the basal diet containing 2 ppm $AFB_{1}$ group 2 received 5% CM, group 3 received 2.5% CM, group 4 received 5% normal com and group 5 received 2.5% normal com. 5% treated group showed cancer promoting activity in rat liver using DEN as initiator and the induction of glutathione S-transferase placental form positive foci as an end point after 6 weeks of promotion.