Measuring Serum Toxicity Markers to Evaluate the Safety of Commercially Available Spirulina Products in Mice
Feven Tezera Damessa1*
, Musa Chacha2, John-Mary Vianney3 and Jofrey Raymond1
1Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Nelson Mandela Africa Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
2Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity, Nelson Mandela Africa Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
3Department of Health and Biomedical Science, Nelson Mandela Africa Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
Corresponding Author Email: damessaf@nm-aist.ac
Abstract:
Spirulina a multicellular, blue-green alga has drawn attention as a viable food supplement due to its suitable nutrient composition, however, there is a dearth of information regarding its safety. This study aimed to measure the heavy metal concentrations in commercially available Spirulina products and evaluate the safety using the in vivo method. A total of 54 mice were randomly divided into three groups; Group 1 (n = 18) served as a control and received a basal diet. Group 2 (n = 20) served as a test and received Spirulina powder (15%) blended with a basal diet. Group 3 (n = 16) serves as a standard and received a basal diet supplemented with nutritional supplements. The findings showed that the concentration of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, cystatin C, and troponin I after consuming the experimental diets was not statistically different between groups (p > 0.05). The concentrations of mercury (0.000036 mg/kg), lead (0.0047 mg/kg), cadmium (0.00048 mg/kg), and arsenic (0.0046 mg/kg) was very little to cause toxic effect and the levels were below the European Communities Commission (EC) recommended maximum heavy metal levels in foodstuffs. Therefore, consumption of Spirulina at a proportion of 15% does not exert any hepatic, renal, and cardiac toxicities in the mice. However, evaluating the safety of higher doses (> 15%) is required.
Keywords:
Heavy Metal; In Vivo; Safety; Spirulina; Toxicity Marker
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