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» Food, Drug & Chemical Toxicology
Overview
Food is of paramount importance as it is required in sufficient quantity to provide a healthy life. There is increasing concern about food safety and food contamination either through environmental pollution or adulteration round the globe. To ensure an adequate food supply during non-agriculturally productive periods, it has become necessary to find methods to preserve and process the food. With the fast growth of food processing industries, the trend towards the use of various food additives added for technological purposes has also increased. New chemical entities are being exploited as additives in food. The adulteration of food due to deliberate mixing of inferior grade agents for disguising and to earn undue profits is also a serious problem. Furthermore, un-intentional contaminants may creep up during field production or processing and storage. Recombinant DNA technology for production of GM food has to be exploited for adequate food supply or else the crisis shall keep on increasing. However, the safety of this GM food/crop has to be established before commercialization. Based on our traditional knowledge the beneficial effects of herbs are a promising area for encountering several toxic manifestations. Thus, toxicity/safety data for these chemical moieties along with GM food and traditionally used herbs need to be generated
Mission and goals
The mission is to have safe and healthy food. This can be achieved by
Competencies
The institute has a competent team of scientists to fulfil the goals.
Scientists involved
Food is of paramount importance as it is required in sufficient quantity to provide a healthy life. There is increasing concern about food safety and food contamination either through environmental pollution or adulteration round the globe. To ensure an adequate food supply during non-agriculturally productive periods, it has become necessary to find methods to preserve and process the food. With the fast growth of food processing industries, the trend towards the use of various food additives added for technological purposes has also increased. New chemical entities are being exploited as additives in food. The adulteration of food due to deliberate mixing of inferior grade agents for disguising and to earn undue profits is also a serious problem. Furthermore, un-intentional contaminants may creep up during field production or processing and storage. Recombinant DNA technology for production of GM food has to be exploited for adequate food supply or else the crisis shall keep on increasing. However, the safety of this GM food/crop has to be established before commercialization. Based on our traditional knowledge the beneficial effects of herbs are a promising area for encountering several toxic manifestations. Thus, toxicity/safety data for these chemical moieties along with GM food and traditionally used herbs need to be generated
Mission and goals
The mission is to have safe and healthy food. This can be achieved by
- Development and/or establishment of methodologies to quantify the potential toxic agent in food.
- To understand the mechanism of toxicity of new food additives, contaminants, adulterants.
- Detection of GM food/crop and their safety/allergenic assessment.
- Identification of phytochemicals/herbal preparations, which can modify the toxicity of above chemical moieties in food.
Competencies
The institute has a competent team of scientists to fulfil the goals.
Area of Research
Food, Drug and Chemical Toxicology
Glimpses of current research
- Studies on argemone oil (AO) suggest that liver, lungs kidney and heart are the target sites causing Epidemic Dropsy (ED) in animals and humans. Clinical studies indicate that oxidative stress is produced in ED patients, leading to the decrease in plasma antioxidants including ?-tocopherol, glutathione, retinol and total antioxidant capacity, which in turn may cause oxidative damage of macromolecules including lipids and proteins in plasma of dropsy patients. Tocopherol treatment to animals either prior or after AO exposure resulted in prevention of DNA damage suggesting the usefulness of antioxidant mode of therapy
- Patulin, a mycotoxin produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus sp of fungi, is a common contaminant of apples, grapes, oranges, pear and peaches. Surveillance study in different fruit juices showed that almost 32% samples are contaminated with patulin. Based on WHO recommendation, the dermal toxic effects of patulin were investigated. Studies showed that topical application of patulin causes DNA damage leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through modulation of Bax, P53 and P21/WAF1 proteins in skin of mice, which may have toxicological implications on skin.
- Leguminous crops are the main source of protein in Asian subcontinent including India and their proteins may induce allergic reactions in sensitized individuals, therefore, prevalence of legume allergy and concomitant sensitization to different allergens was evaluated. The common legumes in decreasing order of allergenicity were chickpea, green gram, and bean fresh/red gram. The pepsin resistant proteins, from the chickpea, black gram, kidney bean, Bengal gram, red gram and green gram have been reported. Five novel IgE binding proteins of red gram were identified and characterized as putative clinically relevant allergen.
- Using proteomic and genomic approaches, identification of candidate biomarkers associated with carcinogenicity/ toxicity of pesticides is being investigated. Specific cancer related protein biomarkers in human/rat plasma and tissues have been achieved. Chemoprevention in experimental carcinogenesis through phytochemicals like Lupeol, Bromelain, Resvertrol and their mechanism of action has been investigated.
- Tributyltin (TBTC) results in thymic atrophy caused by thymocyte apoptosis following mitochondrial-caspase dependent pathway. Free radical generation is shown as the underlying mechanism of TBTC action on thymocytes. C-phycocyanin, a biliprotein of blue green algae effectively restores the toxic manifestations of TBTC.
- Cadmium showed apoptosis of sertoli, germ and leydig cells, which is caused by oxidative stress resulting in testicular toxicity. Picroliv, an alcoholic extract of Picrorhiza kurroa showed protective response on these parameters.
- Recent findings indicate that Nimesulide, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug aggravates redox imbalance and calcium dependent mitochondrial permeability transition leading to dysfunction and hepatotoxicity. Fumaria parviflora extract showed hepato-protection against Nimesulide stress.
- A gene, arsH, in arsenite-resistant Lactobacillus acidophilus strain IITR-RKU1 plasmid (GenBank nucleotide sequence Accession No.: HM003402) has been identified. The presence of chromate reductase in chromium-resistant Lactobacilli along with complete reduction of Cr-VI by these bacteria has also been shown. Studies suggest that in future, arsenic and chromium-resistant Lactobacilli may provide a line of defense as probiotic in the prophylactic intervention of gastrointestinal disorders caused by arsenic/chromium.
- In view of the importance and potential of Transgenic crops and regulatory needs of Genetically Modified Organisms ( GMO's) and products thereof , an attempt has been made to develop and standardized the protocols to detect and quantitate the transgenes in Maize ( Cry1A(b)) and RR soy (EPSPS) using PCR and Real time PCR techniques. Also, a multiple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach was developed for detection, identification, and gene stability confirmation of cry1Ac and Vegetative insecticidal protein Vip-s in transgenic crops. The limit of detection as established by our assay for GM trait cry1Ac and vip-s was 0.1%.
- The following legislative decisions were undertaken based on the work of this group: (i) ban on sale of loose food colours, (ii) compulsory ISI certification of food colours, (iii) delisting of three colours from the prescribed list, (iv) curtailment of maximum allowable limits of colours in food, (v) prescribed the limits of nickel in hydrogenated vegetable oils, (vi) prescribed the limits of menthol in pan masala and (vii) initiation of formulation of standards for heavy metals in food grade silver foil.
Scientists involved
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