Spermine and spermidine are cytotoxic towards intestinal cell cultures, but are they a health hazard at concentrations found in foods?

Beatriz Del Rio; Begoña Redruello; Daniel M Linares; Victor Ladero; Patricia Ruas-Madiedo; Maria Fernandez; M Cruz Martin; Miguel A Alvarez

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.06.148

Spermine and spermidine are cytotoxic towards intestinal cell cultures, but are they a health hazard at concentrations found in foods?

Food Chem. 2018 Dec 15:269:321-326. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.06.148. Epub 2018 Jul 2.

Authors

Beatriz Del Rio¹, Begoña Redruello², Daniel M Linares³, Victor Ladero⁴, Patricia Ruas-Madiedo⁵, Maria Fernandez⁶, M Cruz Martin⁷, Miguel A Alvarez⁸

Affiliations

¹ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Dairy Research Institute, IPLA-CSIC, Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 30100441
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.06.148

Abstract

Spermine and spermidine are polyamines (PA) naturally present in all organisms, in which they have important physiological functions. However, an excess of PA has been associated with health risks. PA accumulates at quite high concentrations in some foods, but a quantitative assessment of the risk they pose has been lacking. In the present work, the cytotoxicity of spermine and spermidine was evaluated using an in vitro human intestinal cell model, and employing real-time cell analysis. Both spermine and spermidine showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect towards the cultured cells, with necrosis the mode of action of spermidine and perhaps also that of spermine. Spermine was more cytotoxic than spermidine, but for both PA the concentrations found to be toxic were above the maximum at which they have been found in food. The present results do not, therefore, support the idea that spermine or spermidine in food is harmful to healthy people.

Keywords: Biogenic amines; Cytotoxicity; Food safety; IC(50); LOAEL; NOAEL; Spermidine; Spermidine (PubChem CID1102); Spermine; Spermine (PubChem CID1103).

MeSH terms

Cells, Cultured
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Food Analysis
Humans
Intestines
Polyamines
Putrescine
Spermidine / toxicity*
Spermine / toxicity*

Substances

Polyamines
Spermine
Spermidine
Putrescine