Abstract
In this study, we investigated the potential of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from Chinese traditional fermented foods to reduce the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and its subsequent detoxification mechanism. Among all the investigated L. plantarum strains, L. plantarum C88 showed the strongest AFB1 binding capacity in vitro, and was orally administered to mice with liver oxidative damage induced by AFB1. In the therapy groups, the mice that received L. plantarum C88, especially heat-killed L. plantarum C88, after a single dose of AFB1 exposure, showed an increase in unabsorbed AFB1 in the feces. Moreover, the effects of L. plantarum C88 on the enzymes and non-enzymes antioxidant abilities in serum and liver, histological alterations of liver were assayed. The results indicated that compared to the control group, L. plantarum C88 alone administration induced significant increase of antioxidant capacity, but did not induce any significant changes in the histological picture. Compared to the mice that received AFB1 only, L. plantarum C88 treatment could weaken oxidative stress by enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and elevating the expression of Glutathione S-transferase (GST) A3 through Nuclear factor erythroid (derived factor 2) related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. Furthermore, cytochrome P450 (CYP 450) 1A2 and CYP 3A4 expression was inhibited by L. plantarum C88, and urinary aflatoxin B1-N7-guanine (AFB-N7-guanine), a AFB1 metabolite formed by CYP 1A2 and CYP 3A4, was significantly reduced by the presence of viable L. plantarum C88. Meanwhile, the significant improvements were showed in histological pictures of the liver tissues in mice orally administered with viable L. plantarum C88. Collectively, L. plantarum C88 may alleviate AFB1 toxicity by increasing fecal AFB1 excretion, reversing deficits in antioxidant defense systems and regulating the metabolism of AFB1.
Highlights
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered to possess the highest toxicity among various types of secondary metabolites produced by a larger number of Aspergillus spp, and classified as a Group I carcinogen for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [1]
It was found that glutathione conjugation could eliminate AFBO through the catalytic action of glutathione S-transferase (GST), which was activated by Nrf2-Antioxidant Response Element (ARE) response [5]
The bacteria were again pelleted by centrifugation (2000 × g, 10 min, 4 ̊C), and the supernatant containing unbound AFB1 was collected for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, which was similar to the analysis described by Samuel et al [16]
Summary
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered to possess the highest toxicity among various types of secondary metabolites produced by a larger number of Aspergillus spp, and classified as a Group I carcinogen for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [1]. Many foods such as grains (corn, sorghum, and millet), peanuts, beans, and nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc.) may support the growth of Aspergillus, and may be contaminated with aflatoxins. GST A3 appeared to be the critical factor involved in AFB1 detoxification in mice [6]
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