This study was performed to investigate the four-week repeated-dose toxicity of the crude antifungal compounds produced by Lactobacillus plantarum AF1 (Lb. plantarum AF1), a lactic acid bacterium isolated from kimchi, in male and female rats. Sprague-Dawley male and female rats were divided into four groups, with 10 animals in each group. The test article was administered once daily by gavage to rats at dosage levels of 0, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg/day for four weeks. There were no test-article-related deaths or abnormal clinical signs in both the male and female rats during the observation period. Furthermore, no differences in the body weight changes, food intake and water consumption levels of the control and treatment groups were found. The hematological parameters, serum biochemical analysis results, histopathological examination results and all other findings also showed no significant or dose-dependent changes. There were also no changes in the organ weights upon the administration of the crude antifungal compounds produced by Lb. plantarum AF1. These results suggest that the oral administration of the crude antifungal compounds produced by Lb. plantarum AF1 had no adverse effects up to a dosage level of 2,000 mg/kg in both male and female rats.

The in vivo single-dose acute toxicity of Lactobacillus plantarum AF1, a lactic acid bacterium isolated from kimchi, in ICR male and female mice was investigated. The test article was intraperitoneally or orally administered once to both sexes of mice. The motalites, clinical findings, autopsy findings, and body weight changes were monitored daily for 14 days. In the oral acute toxicity test, the male and female mice were gavaged with four doses (5.0, 2.5, 1.25 and 0.625 g/kg) of Lb. plantarum AF1. The oral LD50 of the Lb. plantarum AF1 was considered higher than 5.0 g/kg. In the intraperitoneal acute toxicity test, mice were injected intraperitoneally with dosages of 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2.1, 2.3 and 2.5 g/kg. The intraperitoneal 50% lethal dose (LD50) of the Lb. plantarum AF1 was >2.5 g/kg in the male and female mice. No significant changes in the general conditions, body weights, clinical signs, and gross lesions were observed in both sexes of mice to which Lb. plantarum AF1 was administered intraperitoneally or orally. The results suggest that the no-adverse-effect level of Lb. plantarum AF1 is estimated to be more than 5.0 g/kg in the oral route and 2.5 g/kg in the intraperitoneal route.