Super-Sensitive LC-MS Analyses of Exposure Biomarkers for Multiple Mycotoxins in a Rural Pakistan Population.

Lei Xia,Michael N Routledge,Hifza Rasheed,Yun Yun Gong,Hang Wu

doi:10.3390/toxins14030193

Lei Xia, Michael N Routledge + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14030193

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Abstract

High levels of mycotoxin contamination have been reported in various food commodities in Pakistan, however, there has been no exposure assessment study using multiple mycotoxins’ biomarkers. This study aimed to simultaneously assess the exposure to the five major mycotoxins: aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) in a Pakistani population using an integrated approach of human biomonitoring. Human urine samples (n = 292) were analyzed by a super-sensitive liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Rice and wheat were also collected and analyzed for mycotoxins by the LC-MS/MS method. Food consumption data were collected using a 24 h recall method. A high prevalence of urinary AFM1 (66%, mean ± SD 20.8 ± 41.3 pg/mL) and OTA (99%, 134.7 ± 312.0 pg/mL) were found, whilst urinary DON, FB1 and ZEN levels were low. The probable daily intake (PDI) derived from the urinary biomarkers revealed that 89% of the participants had exposure to OTA exceeding the established tolerable daily intake (TDI = 17 ng/kg bw/day). The average PDI of AFB1 for the studied population was 43 ng/kg bw/day, with rice as the main source of AFB1 exposure. In summary, exposure to AFB1 and OTA are of health concern and require further management.

Highlights

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by various fungi, contaminate many staple crops, presenting a largely ignored public health risk, especially in developing countries [1]
Using super-sensitive LC-MS/MS methods for analysis of multiple mycotoxins in urine, we found that populations from the Punjab region of Pakistan had a high prevalence of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) exposure
The estimated AFB1 and OTA exposure levels were comparable to those countries reported with frequent AFB1 and OTA contamination in food, such as Nigeria and Tanzania

Summary

Introduction

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by various fungi, contaminate many staple crops, presenting a largely ignored public health risk, especially in developing countries [1]. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) have been recognized as the major mycotoxins posing public health risks due to their toxicity and frequency of occurrence [3–6]. Simultaneous analysis of multiple mycotoxins has been developed in the last decade providing increasing evidence of the co-occurrence of these mycotoxins. These five mycotoxins and their derivatives were reported to be the predominant mycotoxins in previous co-occurrence studies [7,8]. This research aims to optimize the LC-MS/MS method to achieve maximum sensitivity for the five major mycotoxins including their main metabolites, and to apply this to human exposure analysis

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