Toxicological Evaluation of Brassica napus Extract Containing Vanadium, Nutricultured in Jeju Water

This study evaluated the mutagenicity and acute toxicity of the juice extract of nutricultured Brassica napus containing vanadium (BECV). The BECV was prepared by nutriculture for 7 days in Jeju water containing vanadium. The mutagenic effects of BECV were investigated using the bacterial reverse mutation test, chromosome aberration test, and micronucleus test. Based on the results of the mutagenicity test, we propose that BECV is not a mutagenicity-inducing agent. In the acute oral toxicity study, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered a single limiting dose of 0.014, 0.14, or 1.4 μg BECV/kg body weight; the rats were then observed for 7 days. No acute lethal effect was observed at the maximal dose of 1.4 μg BECV/kg body weight. In the subacute study, male and female rats were administered once daily, by oral gavage, a dose of 0.028, 0.14, and 0.7 μg/kg body weight of BECV for 28 days. No significant toxicity was observed not only hematological, biochemical, and pathological parameters but also the body and organ weights when compared to controls. The level of BECV with no observed adverse effects in male and female rats was 0.7 μg/kg body weight (concentration of vanadium in BECV) in the subacute toxicity study.