Investigation of the transport of aflatoxin M1 by the transporter ABCG2 in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Abstract

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a hydrogenated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), is one of the most common and threatening aflatoxins found in milk and dairy products. The ATP-binding cassette G2 efflux transporter (ABCG2) plays an important role in the mammary transport of drugs and toxins in animals, but whether ABCG2 could affect the transport of AFM1 in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) has not been clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of AFM1 on tight junctions (TJs), lactation and cells proliferation in BMECs, and explored the regulatory role of ABCG2 in AFM1 transport in vitro in BMECs. The results showed that the integrity of the TJs of BMECs was not permanently compromised after exposure to AFM1. AFM1 exposure had no obvious effects on lactation or cell proliferation in BMECs. Gene function study revealed that ABCG2 was a positive regulator of AFM1 transport. These results demonstrate that it has little effect on TJs, lactation or cell proliferation in BMECs exposed to a small dose of AFM1, and ABCG2 is a critical regulator for AFM1 transport in BMECs.