Abstract
The determination of mycotoxins content in food is not sufficient for the prediction of their potential in vivo cytotoxicity because it does not reflect their bioavailability and mutual interactions within complex matrices, which may significantly alter the toxic effects. Moreover, many mycotoxins undergo biotransformation and metabolization during the intestinal absorption process. Biotransformation is predominantly the conversion of mycotoxins meditated by cytochrome P450 and other enzymes. This should transform the toxins to nontoxic metabolites but it may possibly result in unexpectedly high toxicity. Therefore, the verification of biotransformation and bioavailability provides valuable information to correctly interpret occurrence data and biomonitoring results. Among all of the methods available, the in vitro models using monolayer formed by epithelial cells from the human colon (Caco-2 cell) have been extensively used for evaluating the permeability, bioavailability, intestinal transport, and metabolism of toxic and biologically active compounds. Here, the strengths and limitations of both in vivo and in vitro techniques used to determine bioavailability are reviewed, along with current detailed data about biotransformation of mycotoxins. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of mycotoxin effects is also discussed regarding the disorder of intestinal barrier integrity induced by mycotoxins.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites secreted by fungi and frequently occurring in food and feed worldwide [1,2,3]
Aflatoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), aflatoxin M2 (AFM2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2), are the most studied group of mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus [12,13]
This review mainly focuses on the biotransformation of mycotoxins via the expression regulation of some critical enzymes and the currently available data regarding the in vitro study of the bioavailability of mycotoxins using the Caco-2 monolayer
Summary
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites secreted by fungi and frequently occurring in food and feed worldwide [1,2,3]. The major fungal genera producing foodborne mycotoxins are Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria [4,5]. Ochratoxin A (OTA), the major mycotoxin of the ochratoxins, is produced by various species of the Aspergillus and Penicillium genus [8]. Penicillium species are known to produce mycophenolic acid (MPA) [9] and patulin (PAT) [10,11]. Aflatoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), aflatoxin M2 (AFM2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2), are the most studied group of mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus [12,13]. Alternaria fungi contaminate a wide variety of food items, such as cereals, fruits, wheat, barley, and sorghum, producing several toxins, with alternariol.
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