Transcriptome and metabolome analysis of liver and kidneys of rats chronically fed NK603 Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize

BACKGROUND: A previous 2-year rat feeding trial assessing potential toxicity of NK603 Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize revealed blood and urine biochemical changes indicative of liver and kidney pathology. In an effort to obtain deeper insight into these findings, molecular profiling of the liver and kidneys from the same animals was undertaken. RESULTS: Transcriptomics showed no segregation of NK603 maize and control feed groups with false discovery rates ranging from 43 to 83% at a cut-off p value of 1%. Changes in gene expression were not reflective of liver and kidney toxic effects. Metabolomics identified 692 and 673 metabolites in kidney and liver, respectively. None of the statistically significant disturbances detected (12–56 for different test groups) survived a false discovery rate analysis. Differences in these metabolites between individual animals within a group were greater than the effect of test diets, which prevents a definitive conclusion on either pathology or safety. CONCLUSIONS: Even if the biological relevance of the statistical differences presented in this study is unclear, our results are made available for scrutiny by the scientific community and for comparison in future studies investigating potential toxicological properties of the NK603 corn. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12302-017-0105-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.