Potassium bromate and DNA damage in rat tissues over 28 days
What it found
In rats, potassium bromate increased signs of DNA damage in the stomach lining and bone marrow but not in the liver or colon.
The length of exposure did not change the stomach results.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Stomach DNA damage in rats
Rats given potassium bromate had more cells with chromosome fragments in their stomach lining. The number of days they received it did not significantly change this result.
Bone marrow damage in rats
The treated rats also showed more cells with chromosome fragments in their bone marrow.
Liver and colon unchanged
Potassium bromate did not raise the number of damaged cells in the liver or the lower bowel during any of the test periods.
Signs of harm in rats
Animals receiving the additive showed some signs of harm in their kidneys or stomachs.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that checking the stomach lining is a helpful way to measure whether chemicals can damage DNA after being swallowed.
- They advise that this stomach test could be added into routine safety studies.
How it was done
Potassium bromate is a food additive known to cause kidney cancer and chromosome damage in cells and animals. Researchers wanted to see if repeated-dose tests on gut and liver tissue could detect this kind of damage.
Researchers gave potassium bromate by mouth to rats for 4, 14, and 28 days. They then checked four body areas for tiny fragments of damaged chromosomes. This was part of a larger team effort by a Japanese research group.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These tests were done in rats, so they cannot show what happens in people who eat foods containing potassium bromate.
- The study measured chromosome damage rather than long-term health outcomes like cancer in humans.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Yakult Central Institute, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Evaluation of repeated dose micronucleus assays of the liver and gastrointestinal tract using potassium bromate: a report of the collaborative study by CSGMT/JEMS.MMS
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Okada E, Fujiishi Y, Narumi K, et al (2015). Evaluation of repeated dose micronucleus assays of the liver and gastrointestinal tract using potassium bromate: a report of the collaborative study by CSGMT/JEMS.MMS. Mutation research. Genetic toxicology and environmental mutagenesis. doi:10.1016/j.mrgentox.2014.03.002PubMed 24637080DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error