Measurement of Potato Steroidal Alkaloids in Human Serum and Saliva by Radioimmunoassay

Abstract

<jats:p> 1 Radioimmunoassay methods are described for measuring potentially toxic potato glycoalkaloids and the aglycone solanidine in human serum and saliva. </jats:p><jats:p> 2 Solanidine and total alkaloid concentrations in serum and saliva during the summer are given for a group of subjects from the UK and a group from Sweden. Serum concentrations ranged from 3.2 to &gt; 125 nmol/l for total alkaloid and 2.5 to 92.5 nmol/l for solanidine and were comparable in the two populations. Salivary total alkaloid concentrations were only about 10% of serum values. Salivary solanidine concentrations did not exceed 20% of the serum levels. Good correlation was found between serum and salivary alkaloid concentrations ( r = 0.734, for solanidine; r = 0.892 for total alkaloid). </jats:p><jats:p> 3 Serum and salivary alkaloid concentrations were significantly raised in a group of Swedish subjects eating potatoes containing unusually high concentrations of alkaloids when compared with those in a group of subjects eating their normal diets. </jats:p>

Potato Steroidal Alkaloids and Neural Tube Defects: Serum Concentrations Fail to Demonstrate a Causal Relation

“…Recently, methods have been described for measuring both the aglycone, solanidine, and total potato-derived alkaloids in human serum and saliva (Harvey et al, 1985). The present study describes, for the first time, the results of measurements made on women pregnant with either a normal fetus or one affected by NTD.…”

“…Serum samples were stored frozen at -20°C at both the collection and assay centres. Assay Solanidine and total alkaloids were measured by radioimmunoassay with tritiated solanidine as label and a sheep antiserum (Harvey et al, 1985) raised to a conjugate of a-solanine and bovine serum albumin.…”

Risk assessment of glycoalkaloids in feed and food, in particular in potatoes and potato‐derived products

“…In three Swedish adult volunteers (two males and one female), who consumed daily for 1 week 200–300 g of cooked unpeeled potatoes of varieties high in GAs (180–300 mg/kg), no signs of acute toxicity were noted. However, the three subjects reported on a bitter taste (Harvey et al., ,b). JECFA () estimated the intake of TGA at 1 mg/kg bw.…”

Ranking Possible Carcinogenic Hazards

“…Solanine and chaconine (the main alkaloids in potatoes) are cholinesterase inhibitors and were introduced generally into the human diet about 400 years ago with the dissemination ofthe potato from the Andes. They can be detected in the blood of almost all people (12,90). Total alkaloids are present at a level of 15,000 ,ug per 200-g potato with not a large safety factor (about sixfold) from the toxic level for humans (91).…”