Lack of carcinogenicity of tamarind seed polysaccharide in B6C3F1 mice.

The carcinogenic potential of tamarind seed polysaccharide was examined in both sexes of B6C3F1 mice. Groups of 50 male and 50 female animals were given diets containing 0, 1.25 and 5% of tamarind seed polysaccharide for 78 wk. Body weight retardation was exhibited by the females in the 1.25 and 5% groups from 34 wk to termination. However, there were no treatment-related clinical signs or adverse effects on survival rate, food and water consumption, haematology findings or organ weights. Detailed histopathological examination also revealed no treatment-related increase in the incidence of any non-neoplastic or neoplastic lesions. These results demonstrated that tamarind seed polysaccharide is not carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice of either sex.