Effect of Aspergillus spp., on Liver, Kidney and Intestines of WNIN Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Fed on..

The current study was designed with two goals in mind. The study's first goal is to determine the ultrastructural variation of ordinary rice grain obtained from various market sources. The research also aims to use a scanning electron microscope to examine fungal (Aspergillus spp.) infection in stored rice grain and Ultrastructural variation trends in rice due to fungal infection (SEM). Furthermore, when Wistar NIN rats were fed fungal inoculated rice, changes in selected visceral organs (liver, kidney, and intestines) were observed.

Study Design: The study was divided into two phases.

First Phase: Rice sample collection, preparation of infected rice inoculated with Aspergillus sp., and ultrastructure analysis of rice samples using SEM.

Second Phase: Animal experiments, spectrophotometer analysis of biochemical estimations in blood serum, ultrastructural studies in selected visceral organs of rats (liver, kidney, and intestines) by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), and histopathological changes by light microscope in rats fed with inoculated rice powder with Aspergillus spp.,(treated) fungus

Standard rice powder was fed to the rats in the control group (control).

SEM Facility, Extension and Training division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Tarnaka, Hyderabad; study location and duration: SEM Facility, Extension and Training division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Tarnaka, Hyderabad. India's Telangana state. The project lasted from 2013 to 2015.

Methodology: Animal experiments were conducted with albino white Wistar Rats (Rattus norvigecus) weighing approximately 120-140 grammes per rat, with six (6) each for the treated and control groups. Six rats were fed rice that had been inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus sp., while the other six were fed rice that had not been inoculated with the fungus. These animals were cared for in accordance with normal procedures and animal ethics protocol. Following the regulations' animal ethical rules, all of the rats were killed after 28 days of feeding. Rat liver, kidney, and intestine tissues (treated and control) were processed and examined under a light and electron microscope for histopathological and ultrastructural changes. Blood serum from the treated and control rats was obtained and analysed using a spectrophotometer for biochemical analysis. The hepatocytes in the livers of the treatment group rats showed metachromatic granules (cytoplasmic) and nuclear pleomorphism (the presence of more than one sort of glycogen granules) in the same species of more than one morphological type, but this was not seen in the livers of the control rats. Swollen mitochondria and well-developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) were observed in treated group rats compared to normal mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) in control rats in electron microscope studies. The treatment group's kidneys had patchy mononuclear cell infiltrations in the cortex, as well as numerous apoptotic bodies between the renal tubules. The inner walls of the intestinal epithelium in between cells were damaged in the treated community rat's intestines. In the treated group's rat intestines, TEM studies revealed swollen mitochondria, absorptive cells of epithelium, and endoplasmic reticulum tubules, while the control rats' intestines had a regular appearance with well-developed epithelial cells of microvilli. The treatment group's kidneys had patchy mononuclear cell infiltrations in the cortex, as well as numerous apoptotic bodies in the spaces between the renal tubules. The inner walls of the intestinal epithelium in between cells were damaged in the treated group's rat's intestine. In the treated community of rats' intestines, TEM studies revealed swollen mitochondria, absorptive cells of epithelium, and endoplasmic reticulum tubules, while the control rats' intestines had a regular appearance with well-developed epithelial cells of microvilli.

Conclusion: Improper storage of rice grains in food godowns will result in fungal infections causing damage to the rice grains. Despite the fact that fungal-infected grains tend to be natural in appearance, they are unfit for human consumption from a food safety standpoint. As a result, at this point, using SEM in quality control and assurance of food safety of rice grains to assess the quality and declare fitness for human consumption is needed.

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