The failure of long-term feeding of raw soy flour, in the presence or absence of azaserine, to induce carcinogenic changes in the mouse pancreas

Pathological evaluation, clinical chemistry and plasma cholecystokinin in neonatal and young miniature swine fed soy trypsin inhibitor from 1 to 39 weeks of age

The potential toxicity of dietary soy trypsin inhibitor (TI) was evaluated in neonatal miniature swine. From 1 to 6 weeks of age, two groups of male piglets were artificially reared in an Autosow and automatically fed either TI or control liquid diet. From 6 to 39 weeks of age, these two groups were fed either TI or control chow diet. A third group, sow control (SC), suckled from birth to 6 weeks of age, were also weaned to control chow from 6 to 39 weeks of age. Clinical chemistry and plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) determined at 6, 18, 30 and 39 weeks of age, and serum amylase activity with gross and histopathological analyses of major organs at 6 and 39 weeks of age are reported. TI had no effect on plasma CCK, serum amylase activity, or numerous clinical chemistry values. TI-fed piglets had a larger relative liver weight at 6 weeks of age. Relative pancreas weight decreased with age but was not affected by TI. Gross and histopathological analyses of major organs, except the spleen, were within normal limits. Increased incidence of extramedullary hematopoiesis was noted in the spleen of the TI group at 6 but not at 39 weeks of age. There was no consistent pattern in immunohistochemical foci for secretin, gastrin releasing polypeptide or CCK, and no change in DNA, RNA, mitotic index or nuclear density of pancreatic cells. At 6 weeks of age, TI increased pancreatic protein and amylase activity but not trypsin or chymotrypsin activity. None of the effects suggested that this dose of TI was toxic to either the neonatal or sexually mature miniature male swine.

Implications of antinutritional components in soybean foods

There are a number of components present in soybeans that exert a negative impact on the nutritional quality of the protein. Among those factors that are destroyed by heat treatment are the protease inhibitors and lectins. Protease inhibitors exert their antinutritional effect by causing pancreatic hypertrophy/hyperplasia, which ultimately results in an inhibition of growth. The lectin, by virtue of its ability to bind to glycoprotein receptors on the epithelial cells lining the intestinal mucosa, inhibits growth by interfering with the absorption of nutrients. Of lesser significance are the antinutritional effects produced by relatively heat stable factors, such as goitrogens, tannins, phytoestrogens, flatus-producing oligosaccharides, phytate, and saponins. Other diverse but ill-defined factors appear to increase the requirements for vitamins A, B12, D, and E. The processing of soybeans under severe alkaline conditions leads to the formation of lysinoalanine, which has been shown to damage the kidneys of rats. This is not generally true, however, for edible soy protein that has been produced under milder alkaline conditions. Also meriting consideration is the allergenic response that may sometimes occur in humans, as well as calves and piglets, on dietary exposure to soybeans.

Protease inhibitors in chemoprevention of cancer. An overview

In the search for chemopreventive agents for cancer many natural products have been identified. Among them extensive experimental studies have been made on protease inhibitors which not only occur naturally in many plant products, but have also been synthesized in the laboratory. Many of these studies revealed the fact that protease inhibitors are able to prevent carcinogenesis and tumour promotion. A review of the reports available to date suggests that protease inhibitors are potential chemopreventive agents although their biological role and mechanism of action are not very clear.

The effect of trypsin inhibitor on the pancreas and small intestine of mice

Pancreatic and intestinal growth rates were measured in mice fed on raw soya-bean flour (RSF) for up to 24 weeks. Control animals were fed on standard chow. The effects of RSF on the mouse pancreas resembled that seen in rats, showing hypertrophy with some hyperplasia. A marked increase in small intestinal weight was also found in mice fed on RSF but not in rats fed on this diet. Histological studies showed an increase in both villous and crypt thicknesses in the small intestine from these mice, and DNA, RNA and protein measurements indicated that the increase in intestinal weight was due to hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the mucosal layer. To determine whether the intestinal growth in mice fed on RSF was purely a response to the trypsin inhibitor (TI) component of the diet, pancreatic and intestinal growth rates were also determined in mice fed on the synthetic trypsin inhibitor camostate, at levels of 0.5 or 2 g/kg in rat chow, for periods of 1-8 weeks. Control animals were fed on standard chow. RSF and 0.5 g camostate/kg had similar trypsin inhibitor activities (measured against bovine trypsin), and both caused similar increases in pancreatic weight, DNA, RNA and protein content. However, 0.5 g camostate/kg did not affect small intestinal weight. Chow containing 2 g camostate/kg contained twice as much TI activity as the RSF diet but produced only a small increase in small intestinal weight at 2 and 8 weeks. This intestinal growth was significantly less than that seen with RSF. The present study shows that, in the mouse, RSF or a diet containing camostate in the appropriate dose produces pancreatic growth comparable to that seen in the rat. RSF also causes intestinal growth, but camostate-containing diets have little or no effect on the growth of the intestine.

Effects of soya bean flakes and liquorice root extract on enzyme induction and toxicity in B6C3F1 mice

Both soya bean flakes (SBF) and liquorice root extract (LRE) have previously been reported to have anticarcinogenic properties, which have been thought to be related to an increased activity of specific enzymes responsible for the detoxification of chemical carcinogens. 30- and 90-day studies were conducted in male B6C3F1 mice to determine which, if any, of several detoxification enzymes are induced by SBF or LRE. Mice fed 8 and 25% LRE showed a variety of adverse clinical signs, poor weight gain and 30% mortality. Significant increases in liver:body weight ratios were observed in both the SBF and LRE groups. No significant treatment-related gross autopsy findings were observed in any of the SBF groups. A number of abnormalities were observed in the LRE groups, including lesions of the kidney, liver, spleen and thymus. Liver samples from the 90-day study were analysed for 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (7-ECOD), benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase (BPH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and UDP-glucuronyl transferase (UDPGT) at 90 days, and at an interim 30-day autopsy. No treatment-related increases were observed for BPH or SOD. Both SBF and LRE induced modest increases in UDPGT activity. SBF induced modest increases in GST activity, but LRE decreased this activity. 7-ECOD activity was significantly increased by LRE and decreased by SBF. Samples from a 30-day study in which both LRE and SBF were administered at various dose levels were examined for UDPGT activity; all dose groups showed decreases in UDPGT activity relative to controls. The results suggest that both SBF and LRE may alter the activities of specific enzymes involved in the detoxification of chemical carcinogens; however, the combination of these two foodstuffs may not produce an additive effect in B6C3F1 mice.

Modifying effects of soybean trypsin inhibitor on development of eosinophilic nodules and basophilic foci in the exocrine pancreas of male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with 4-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide

Administration of 4-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide (HAQO) to rats results in development of 2 types of pancreatic acinar lesions, namely eosinophilic nodules and basophilic foci. To cast light on the biological character of these lesions, 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single intravenous injection of HAQO at a dose of 7 mg/kg and, thereafter, fed soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) at dose levels of 10% and 5%. At week 57, all rats were killed for pathological examination of pancreatic tissue. The incidence of eosinophilic nodules was significantly higher in the HAQO/SBTI group than in the HAQO-alone group, whereas the basophilic acinar foci were observed to occur less frequently and to be smaller in the HAQO/SBTI-treated animals. Administration of SBTI is known to increase the blood level of cholecystokinin, a trophic factor for pancreatic acinar cells. Thus, the present findings suggest that long-term elevation of this endocrine factor can affect the two types of pancreatic acinar lesions in essentially different ways, namely enhancing development of eosinophilic nodules, while suppressing the occurrence of basophilic foci.

Pancreatic response in rats and mice to trypsin inhibitors from soy and potato after short- and long-term dietary exposure

The effects on the pancreas of chronic (95 wk) dietary exposure to protease inhibitors from soy and potato were compared in rats and mice. Soy and potato trypsin inhibitor (TI) concentrates were prepared from defatted raw soy flour and potato juice, respectively, by selective precipitation and ultrafiltration. Animals were fed a diet in which casein supplied approximately 20% protein. Each concentrate (less than 1% of the diet) was added to provide 100 and 200 mg of trypsin inhibitor activity per 100 g of diet. In short-term (28 d) experiments in rats, both sources of TI decreased the apparent nutritional quality of casein and produced pancreatic hypertrophy consistent with a hormonally mediated feedback mechanism for pancreatic adaptation to diet that is interactive with the nutritional status of the animal. After long-term feeding (95 wk), soy and potato TI produced dose-related pancreatic pathology in rats consisting of nodular hyperplasia and acinar adenoma, which was typical of that associated with raw soy flour. Although mice responded similarly to rats to soy TI in short-term (28-d) feeding experiments, they were resistant to the formation of these lesions following long-term feeding. This considerable species variation in propensity to develop preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the pancreas is not predicted by the short-term hypertrophic and hyperplastic response of the pancreas to TI.