Evaluation of toxic effects induced by repeated exposure to Cylindrospermopsin in rats using a 28-day feeding study

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a toxin with a world-wide increasing occurrence. It can induce toxic effects both in humans and the environment, and toxicity studies are needed to complete its toxicological profile. In this sense, in vivo oral toxicity studies with pure CYN are scarce. The aim of this work was to perform a repeated dose 28-day oral study in rats following the OECD guideline 407 to provide information on health hazard likely to arise from this kind of exposure. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed with 18.75, 37.5 and 75 μg CYN/kg b.w./day. After the study period, no clinical signs or mortality and no significant differences in final body weight, body weight gain and total feed intake in both sexes were observed. Only in females some biochemical parameters (triglycerides (TRIG) levels and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity) as well as changes in the weight of organs (absolute liver weight values, relative kidney/body weight ratios or relative liver weight/brain weight ratios) were altered, but without toxicological relevance. Histopathological analysis revealed a very mild affectation of liver and kidney in rats. These results suggest the need to perform longer oral toxicity studies to define the potential consequences of long term CYN exposure.