Usage and health perception of cannabidiol-containing products among the population in Germany: a descriptive study conducted in 2020 and 2021.

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating substance of Cannabis sativa L., is gaining consumer attention. Yet, legal regulations in the EU are complex and questions of potential health risks remain partly unanswered.

Matrine and Oxymatrine: evaluating the gene mutation potential using in silico tools and the bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames test).

The quinolizidine alkaloids matrine and its N-oxide oxymatrine occur in plants of the genus Sophora. Recently, matrine was sporadically detected in liquorice products. Morphological similarity of the liquorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra with Sophora species and resulting confusion during harvesting may explain this contamination, but use of matrine as pesticide has also been reported.

Detection of Hypoglycin A and MCPrG Metabolites in the Milk and Urine of Pasture Dairy Cows after Intake of Sycamore Seedlings.

Hypoglycin A (HGA), methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPrG), hypoglycin B (HGB), and γ-glutamyl-α-(methylenecyclopropyl) glycine (γ-glutamyl-MCPrG) are secondary plant metabolites occurring in sycamore maple () as well as several other Sapindaceae (e.g., ).

Genotoxicity assessment: opportunities, challenges and perspectives for quantitative evaluations of dose-response data.

Genotoxicity data are mainly interpreted in a qualitative way, which typically results in a binary classification of chemical entities. For more than a decade, there has been a discussion about the need for a paradigm shift in this regard. Here, we review current opportunities, challenges and perspectives for a more quantitative approach to genotoxicity assessment.

Occurrence of Alkenylbenzenes in Plants: Flavours and Possibly Toxic Plant Metabolites.

Alkenylbenzenes are naturally occurring secondary plant metabolites. While some of them are proven genotoxic carcinogens, other derivatives need further evaluation to clarify their toxicological properties. Furthermore, data on the occurrence of various alkenylbenzenes in plants, and especially in food products, are still limited.

Investigations on the Transfer of Quinolizidine Alkaloids from into the Milk of Dairy Cows.

Lupin varieties with a low content of quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) like blue sweet lupin (BSL) have long been used as a protein source for dairy cows. A health concern for humans may arise from the transfer of acute toxic QAs from feed into cow's milk. This study is the first to quantify the transfer of QAs from BSL into cow's milk with experimental and modeling methods.

Myristicin and Elemicin: Potentially Toxic Alkenylbenzenes in Food.

Alkenylbenzenes represent a group of naturally occurring substances that are synthesized as secondary metabolites in various plants, including nutmeg and basil. Many of the alkenylbenzene-containing plants are common spice plants and preparations thereof are used for flavoring purposes. However, many alkenylbenzenes are known toxicants.

Novel Insights into Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Toxicity and Implications for Risk Assessment: Occurrence, Genotoxicity, Toxicokinetics, Risk Assessment-A Workshop Report.

This paper reports on the major contributions and results of the 2nd International Workshop of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids held in September 2020 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are among the most relevant plant toxins contaminating food, feed, and medicinal products of plant origin. Hundreds of PA congeners with widespread occurrence are known, and thousands of plants are assumed to contain PAs.

Alkenylbenzenes in Foods: Aspects Impeding the Evaluation of Adverse Health Effects.

Alkenylbenzenes are naturally occurring secondary plant metabolites, primarily present in different herbs and spices, such as basil or fennel seeds. Thus, alkenylbenzenes, such as safrole, methyleugenol, and estragole, can be found in different foods, whenever these herbs and spices (or extracts thereof) are used for food production. In particular, essential oils or other food products derived from the aforementioned herbs and spices, such as basil-containing pesto or plant food supplements, are often characterized by a high content of alkenylbenzenes.

Bioactivation of estragole and anethole leads to common adducts in DNA and hemoglobin.

Estragole and anethole are secondary metabolites occurring in a variety of commonly used herbs like fennel, basil, and anise. Estragole is genotoxic and carcinogenic in rodents, which depends on the formation of 1'-sulfoxyestragole after hydroxylation and subsequent sulfoconjugation catalyzed by CYP and SULT, respectively. It was hypothesized recently that anethole may be bioactivated via the same metabolic pathways.

What do we know about health risks related to thebaine in food?

Opium alkaloids such as morphine and thebaine occur in the latex of Papaver somniferum varieties. Some varieties are used for both, pharmaceutical opium alkaloid generation and poppy seed production for food use. Poppy seeds can be contaminated with opium alkaloid-containing latex, e.

Detection of -Acetyl--[3'-(4-methoxyphenyl)allyl]-l-Cys (AMPAC) in Human Urine Samples after Controlled Exposure to Fennel Tea: A New Metabolite of Estragole and -Anethole.

Fennel and other herbs contain the secondary plant metabolites estragole and -anethole, of which estragole is carcinogenic in rodents. It is metabolically activated by cytochrome P450-catalyzed conversion to 1'-hydroxyestragole and subsequent sulfo conjugation to the genotoxic 1'-sulfoxyestragole. The current study followed the hypothesis that the reactive sulfate ester may be detoxified by glutathione conjugation, leading to the urinary excretion of a resultant mercapturic acid.

Dietary Manganese Exposure in the Adult Population in Germany-What Does it Mean in Relation to Health Risks?

Manganese is both an essential nutrient and a potential neurotoxicant. Therefore, the question arises whether the dietary manganese intake in the German population is on the low or high side. Results from a pilot total diet study in Germany presented here reveal that the average dietary manganese intake in the general population in Germany aged 14-80 years is about 2.

Hemoglobin adducts of furfuryl alcohol in genetically modified mouse models: Role of endogenous sulfotransferases 1a1 and 1d1 and transgenic human sulfotransferases 1A1/1A2.

Furfuryl alcohol (FFA) is a heat-induced food contaminant. Conversion by sulfotransferases (SULT) yields 2-sulfoxymethylfuran, which is prone to react with DNA and proteins. In order to monitor the internal FFA exposure we developed a technique for the mass spectrometric quantification of the adduct N-((furan-2-yl)methyl)-valine (FFA-Val) after cleavage from the N-termini of hemoglobin.

A hemoglobin adduct as a biomarker for the internal exposure to the rodent carcinogen furfuryl alcohol.

Furfuryl alcohol is a common food contaminant, which is formed by acid- and heat-catalyzed degradation of fructose and glucose. Its carcinogenic effect in rodents originates most likely from sulfotransferase (SULT)-catalyzed conversion into the mutagenic sulfate ester 2-sulfoxymethylfuran. In this study, a protein adduct biomarker was sought for the medium-term internal exposure to furfuryl alcohol.

Ethanol and 4-methylpyrazole increase DNA adduct formation of furfuryl alcohol in FVB/N wild-type mice and in mice expressing human sulfotransferases 1A1/1A2.

Furfuryl alcohol (FFA) is a carcinogenic food contaminant, which is formed by acid- and heat-catalyzed degradation of fructose and glucose. The activation by sulfotransferases (SULTs) yields a DNA reactive and mutagenic sulfate ester. The most prominent DNA adduct, N(2)-((furan-2-yl)methyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine (N(2)-MF-dG), was detected in FFA-treated mice and also in human tissue samples.

Conversion of Suspected Food Carcinogen 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural by Sulfotransferases and Aldehyde Dehydrogenases in Postmitochondrial Tissue Preparations of Humans, Mice, and Rats.

The food contaminant 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is formed by heat- and acid-catalyzed reactions from carbohydrates. More than 80% of HMF is metabolized by oxidation of the aldehyde group in mice and rats. Sulfo conjugation yields mutagenic 5-sulfoxymethylfurfural, the probable cause for the neoplastic effects observed in HMF-treated rodents.

Bioactivation of food genotoxicants 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfuryl alcohol by sulfotransferases from human, mouse and rat: a comparative study.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfuryl alcohol (FFA) are moderately potent rodent carcinogens that are present in thermally processed foodstuffs. The carcinogenic effects were hypothesized to originate from sulfotransferase (SULT)-mediated bioactivation yielding DNA-reactive and mutagenic sulfate esters, a confirmed metabolic pathway of HMF and FFA in mice. It is known that orthologous SULT forms substantially differ in substrate specificity and tissue distribution.

The effect of knockout of sulfotransferases 1a1 and 1d1 and of transgenic human sulfotransferases 1A1/1A2 on the formation of DNA adducts from furfuryl alcohol in mouse models.

Furfuryl alcohol is a rodent carcinogen present in numerous foodstuffs. Sulfotransferases (SULTs) convert furfuryl alcohol into the DNA reactive and mutagenic 2-sulfoxymethylfuran. Sensitive techniques for the isotope-dilution ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification of resulting DNA adducts, e.