Teratogenicity studies on late blighted potatoes in nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta and Saguinus labiatus)

Abstract

Female rhesus monkeys and marmosets were fed a diet containing blighted potatoes (Phytophthora infestans) at a level of 10g/kg per day for at least two weeks prior to breeding and six weeks following conception in order to gain additional information on the association of blighted potatoes and the development of anencephaly and spina bifida in primate species. There was an absence of either of these neural-tube defects in 32 rhesus and 14 marmoset infants whose mothers had received a blighted potato diet. In addition there were no cranial osseous defects. There were, however, two rhesus monkey infants with internal hydrocephalus whose mothers had consumed blighted potatoes.

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

“…After Renwick () had raised the hypothesis above, a number of studies were published using material from blighted potatoes for exposure (Poswillo et al., , ,b; Chaube et al., ; Allen et al., ; Sharma et al., ). The common limitation of these studies is that no reference to the GA content of the test material is given.…”

Purification and characterization of solanidine glucosyltransferase from the potato (Solanum tuberosum)

“…caused up to 30 deaths and over 2000 documented cases of poisoning (Morris and Lee, 1984). Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the possible teratogenic effects of glycoalkaloids following a paper by Renwick (1972) linking anencephaly and spina bifida to the consumption of blighted potatoes during pregnancy (Chaube et al, 1973; Keeler et al, 1975;Allen et al, 1977; Brown and Keeler, 1978). While this relationship may or may not exist, further studies have since linked glycoalkaloids to other reproductive and birth abnormalities (Poswillo et al, 1972(Poswillo et al, ,1973a; Swinyard and Keeler et al, 1976;Allen et al, 1977).…”

.alpha.-Chaconine and .alpha.-solanine content of potato products and their stability during several modes of cooking

“…Teratogenic effects in various animal species have been described (Mun et al, 1975., Keeler et al, 1976; Allen et al, 1977). But epidemiological investigations attempting to correlate potato consumption and abnormalities in humans have produced conflicting results (Renwick, 1972;Emanuel and Sever, 1973).…”