1InfluenceofGeneticallymodifiedSoya大豆ontheBirth-WeightandSurvivalofRatPups仔Abstract1InvestigationoftheinfluenceofGMsoyaonthebirthrateandsurvivaloftheoffspring后代ofWistarrats2wereperformed.AgroupoffemaleratswerefedGMsoyaflourbeforemating交配andpregnancy.Thecontrolgroupoffemaleswerefedtraditionalsoyaandthethirdgroupoffemales,thepositivecontrolgroup,receivedfeedwithoutanysoya.Theweightandthemortality死亡rateofthenewbornpupswereanalyzed.Thestudyshowedthattherewasaveryhighrateofpupmortality(55.6%)intheGMsoyagroupincomparisonwiththecontrolgroupandthepositivecontrolgroup(9%and6.8%respectively.Moreover,deathinthefirstgroupcontinuedduringlactation哺乳,andtheweightsofthesurvivorsarelowerthosefromtheothertwogroups.Itwasrevealedintheseexperiments,thatGMsoyacouldhaveanegativeinfluenceontheoffspringofWistarrats.Introduction2Thetermgeneticallymodifiedorganism(GMO3s)referstoplants,microbesandanimalswithgenestransferredfromotherspeciesinordertoproducecertainnovelcharacteristics(forexampleresistancetopests,orherbicides)andareproducedbyrecombinantDNAtechnology.Fourmainsourcesofthehazards危险ofGMOarediscussedbyscientistsworldwide:1)thoseduetothenewgenes,andgeneproductsintroduced;2)unintendedeffectsinherent内在的tothetechnology;3)interactionsbetweenforeigngenesandhostgenes;and4)thosearisingfromthespreadoftheintroducedgenesbyordinarycross-pollination异花授粉aswellasbyhorizontalgenetransfer(WorldScientists’Statement2000).3GMcropscontainmaterial,whichisnotpresentinthemundernaturalconditions,2andtheyformapartofourdailydiet.TounderstandwhateffecttheycanhaveonusandonouranimalsitisvitallyimportanttostudytheinfluenceoftheseGMplantsindifferentorganismsforseveralgenerations.Atthepresent,thesestudiesarelackingfromthescientificliterature.Also,severaldetrimentaleffectsofGMcropshadbeenshowedonthemetabolismofanimals.Thehazardofgeneticallymodifiedorganisms(GMO)wasshownforanimalsandtheenvironmentinmanyinvestigations(Traavik1995;HoandTappeser1997;Pusztai1999and2001;Kuznetcovetal.2004andothers).EarlieritwasshownthatconsumptionofGMfoodbyanimalsledtothenegativechangesintheirorganisms.Experiments,conductedbyA.Pusztaishowedthatpotatoesmodifiedbytheinsertionofthegeneofthesnowdroplectin4(aninsecticidalproteins),stuntedthegrowthofrats,significantlyaffectedsomeoftheirvitalorgans,includingthekidneys,thymus,gastrocnemiusmuscleandothers(1998)anddamagedtheirintestinesandtheirimmunesystem(EwenandPusztai1999).SimilareffectofGMpotatoesonratswasobtainedatInstituteofNutritioninRussia(Ermakova2005).4ItisputforwardintheriskassessmentdocumentsthattheGMcomponentsoftransformedplantsarecompletelydestroyedinthedigestivetractofhumansandanimals,togetherwiththeothergeneticmaterialfoundinthem.However,foreignDNAplasmids5aresteadieragainstthedigestionthanitwasoriginallybelieved.PlasmidDNAandGMDNAwerefoundinmicroorganismsoftheintestineandinsaliva(Merceretal.1998;Coghlan2002).ExperimentalresearchesinmiceshowedthatingestedforeignDNAcanpersistinfragmentedforminthegastrointestinaltract,penetratetheintestinalwall,andreachthenucleiofleukocytes,spleenandlivercells(Schubbertetal.1994).InanotherresearchofSchubbertetal.(1998)theplasmidcontainingthegeneforthegreenfluorescentprotein6(pEGFP-C1)orbacteriophageM13DNAwerefedtopregnantmice.ForeignDNA,orallyingestedbypregnantmice,wasdiscoveredinblood(leukocytes),spleen,liver,heart,brain,testesandotherorgansoffoetusesandnewbornanimals.TheauthorsconsideredthatmaternallyingestedforeignDNAcouldbepotentialmutagensforthedevelopingfetus.AtthesametimeBrakeandEvenson(2004)analyzingthetestisinmiceasasensitivebiomonitorofpotentialtoxic,didn’tfindnegativeeffectsoftransgenicsoybeandietonfetal,postnatal,pubertaloradulttesticulardevelopment.5ThereisalackofinvestigationsontheinfluenceofGMcropsonmammals,3especiallyontheirreproductivefunction.Therefore,itwasdecidedthatweundertakeastudytoseetheeffectofthemostcommonlyusedGMcroponthebirthrate,mortalityandweightgainofratpups,whosemotherwerefeddietssupplementedwiththeRoundup-Readysoya,akindofGMfood.MethodsAnimals6Wistarratswereusedintheexperiment.Theanimalswerebroughtuptosexualmaturityonlaboratoryratfeed.Whentheirweightreachedabout180-200g,thefemaleratsweredividedinto3groups,andhousedingroups(3rat/cage),andkeptundernormallaboratoryconditions.7Thefeedingschemewasasfollows.Femalesineverycagedailyreceiveddrypelletsfromaspecialcontainerplacedonthetopoftheircage.Thoseratsreceivingsoyafloursupplement,weregiventhesoyaflourinasmallcontainerplacedinsidetheircage(20gx40mlwater)forthreeratsand,so5-7gflourforeachrateveryday.Experiment8Onegroupoffemaleratsof180-200gweightwasallocatedtotheexperimentalgroup,andreceived5-7soyaflour/rat/daypreparedfromRoundup-Readysoya,addedtotheratfeedfortwoweeks.Anothergroupfemales(3)wereallocatedtothecontrolgroup,buttheirdietwassupplementedwiththesameamountofsoyaflour,preparedfromthetraditionalsoyainwhichonlytraces(0.08+0.04%)oftheGMconstructwaspresent,mostlikelyresultingfromcross-contamination.Wealsointroducedapositivecontrolgroup(intwocages:3x3),whichhadnotbeenexposedtosoyaflour.Thereforefemaleshaveonlygotthest