Genetically modified (GM) feeding and food safety: evaluation of cell metabolism by enzymatic analysis in goat kids

Abstract In recent years, genetic engineering was widely applied to agriculture in order to obtain plant specific characteristic which can lead to an improvement of both food quality and production. Nowadays, a number of genetically modified (GM) products have been approved for human consumption but concerns over safety persist in the public, mainly as regards either the detection of transgenic plant genes and proteins in animal systems or allergenicity and toxicity of GM plant. The aim of this research has been the evaluation of the possible health effects of a GM diet by studying the activity of organ specific enzymes in goats. Twenty pregnant dairy goats were equally assigned to control (C) and treated (T) groups, homogeneous in parity and milk production at the previous lactation. Experiments started 2 months before lambing; the animals were fed a diet constituted by hay and concentrate, the latter containing soybean meal s.e. which was from conventional or genetically modified (RoundUp Ready®, tolerant to the glyphosate herbicide) beans for group C and T, respectively. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine kinase (CK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assayed in serum and in homogenates from liver, kidney, heart and skeletal muscle using spectrophotometrically method. Results seem to indicate that some alteration occurred in kids even if serum levels were not affected. LDH was significantly increased in three organs thus suggesting that the enzyme synthesis is generally altered in kids fed milk from GM-fed dams.