AUTHOR=Li Jinyue , Wen Pingjing , Qin Guangqiu , Zhang Jiehong , Zhao Peng , Ye Yixin 

TITLE=Toxicological evaluation of water-extract sericin from silkworm (Bombyx mori) in pregnant rats and their fetus during pregnancy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.982841

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.982841

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Sericin is a natural protein produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori, which has a wide range of biological activities and has a broad application prospect in multiple areas. However, systemic toxicity and safety assessment of sericin is still rare. This study was aimed to evaluate the toxic effects of water-extract sericin from cocoons of Bombyx mori in pregnant rats and their fetuses during pregnancy. Eighty pregnant rats were randomly divided into three treatment groups, one negative and one positive control groups. The treatment groups were treated with water-extract sericin solutions at doses of 1000, 500 and 250 mg/kg, while the negative and positive control groups were treated with pure water and 300 mg/kg aspirin, respectively. Rats were exposed daily by oral gavage from the 7th day of gestation for 10 consecutive days and sacrificed on the 20th day of gestation. The results showed that water-extract sericin did not induced any treatment-related changes on pregnant rats (clinical signs, body weights, food consumption, ovarian and uterine weights) and fetuses (body weights, body lengths, tail lengths, visceral and skeletal development). The no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) of sericin was determined to be 1000 mg/kg body weight in rats. These results indicated that water-extract sericin is low teratogenicity under the experimental conditions of this study and is potentially nontoxic for potential dietary consumption by humans.