Dietary Aflatoxin Research Articles

Profound primary prevention of liver cancer following a natural experiment in China: A 50‐year perspective and public health implications

AbstractLiver cancer causes upwards of 1 million cancer deaths annually and is projected to rise by at least 55% over the next 15 years. Two of the major risk factors contributing to liver cancer have been well documented by multiple epidemiologic studies and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin show a synergy that increases by more than 8‐fold the risk of liver cancer relative to HBV alone. Using the population‐based cancer registry established by the Qidong Liver Cancer Institute in 1972 and aflatoxin‐specific biomarkers, we document that reduction of aflatoxin exposure has likely contributed to a nearly 70% decline in age‐standardized liver cancer incidence over the past 30 years despite an unchanging prevalence of HBV infection in cases. A natural experiment of economic reform in the 1980s drove a rapid switch from consumption of heavily contaminated corn to minimally, if any, contaminated rice and subsequent dietary diversity. Aflatoxin consumption appears to accelerate the time to liver cancer diagnosis; lowering exposure to this carcinogen adds years of life before a cancer diagnosis. Thus, in 1990 the median age of diagnosis was 48 years, while increasing to 67 years by 2021. These findings have important translational public health implications since up to 5 billion people worldwide might be routinely exposed to dietary aflatoxin, especially in societies using corn as the staple food. Interventions against aflatoxin are an achievable outcome leading to a reduction in liver cancer incidence and years of delay of its nearly always fatal diagnosis.

Functional characterization of single nucleotide polymorphic variants of DNA repair enzyme NEIL1 in South Asian populations

The base excision repair (BER) pathway is a precise and versatile mechanism of DNA repair that is initiated by DNA glycosylases. Endonuclease VIII-like 1 (NEIL1) is a bifunctional glycosylase/abasic site (AP) lyase that excises a damaged base and subsequently cleaves the phosphodiester backbone. NEIL1 is able to recognize and hydrolyze a broad range of oxidatively-induced base lesions and substituted ring-fragmented guanines, including aflatoxin-induced 8,9-dihydro-8-(2,6-diamino-4-oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimid-5-yl-formamido)-9-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 (AFB1-FapyGua). Due to NEIL1’s protective role against these and other pro-mutagenic lesions, it was hypothesized that naturally occurring single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) variants of NEIL1 could increase human risk for aflatoxin-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given that populations in South Asia experience high levels of dietary aflatoxin exposures and hepatitis B viral infections that induce oxidative stress, investigations on SNP variants of NEIL1 that occur in this region may have clinical implications. In this study, the most common South Asian variants of NEIL1 were expressed, purified, and functionally characterized. All tested variants exhibited activities and substrate specificities similar to wild type (wt)-NEIL1 on high-molecular weight DNA containing an array of oxidatively-induced base lesions. On short oligodeoxynucleotides (17-mers) containing either a site-specific apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site, thymine glycol (ThyGly), or AFB1-FapyGua, P206L-NEIL1 was catalytically comparable to wt-NEIL1, while the activities of NEIL1 variants Q67K and T278I on these substrates were ≈2-fold reduced. Variant T103A had a greatly diminished ability to bind to 17-mer DNAs, limiting the subsequent glycosylase and lyase reactions. Consistent with this observation, the rate of excision by T103A on 17-mer oligodeoxynucleotides containing ThyGly or AFB1-FapyGua could not be measured. However, the ability of T103A to excise ThyGly was improved on longer oligodeoxynucleotides (51-mers), with ≈7-fold reduced activity compared to wt-NEIL1. Our studies suggest that NEIL1 variant T103A may present a pathogenic phenotype that is limited in damage recognition, potentially increasing human risk for HCC.

Feeding Silicoglycidol reduces aflatoxin M1 in dairy cow milk

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a pathogenic metabolite often transferred from feed into milk from aflatoxin (AF) B1, B2, G1, and G2; thus, it poses a human health risk. Therefore, effective mitigation strategies are needed to reduce animal and human exposure to AF. Study objectives were to evaluate a dietary adsorbent (Silicoglycidol, ATX) as a sequestering agent in AF contaminated feed and to broadly examine how AF affects liver function and the immune system. Primiparous Holstein cows (n = 12, 279 ± 88 DIM and 675 ± 19 kg BW) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 21-d periods in which d 1–14 were considered adaptation and data collected on d 15 to 21 were used for analysis. Treatments were: 1) control (CON) consisting of a basal diet; 2) AF diet consisting of CON + AF challenge (100 µg of AFB1/kg dry matter intake [DMI]); and 3) AF + ATX supplemented at 0.10% of dietary DMI. Feed intake and milk yield were recorded daily, fecal samples were collected on d 20 of each period, blood and urine samples were collected on d 21 of each period, and milk samples were collected on the last 2 d of each period. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Milk yield and DMI were unaffected by treatment (26.8 ± 1.3 kg/d and 24.0 ± 0.9 kg/d, respectively). Similarly, neither milk composition nor DMI digestibility were affected by treatment. No AFM1 was detected in CON cow's milk or urine. Supplementing ATX reduced AFM1 in milk (1.57 vs. 1.14 ± 0.1 µg/L for AF and AF+ATX, respectively) and urine (9.9 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1 µg/L for AF and AF+ATX, respectively). Consuming AF did not affect biomarkers of liver health or immune activation including ALT, AST, GGT, haptoglobin (Hp), and immunoglobulin G (IgG). In summary, feeding ATX reduced the absorption and transfer of dietary AF to milk and urine.

Effects of Dietary Aflatoxin B1 on Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂) Growth, Intestinal Health, and Muscle Quality.

This study investigated the effects of varying doses of dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the growth, intestinal health, and muscle quality of hybrid grouper. Four diets with varying AFB1 concentrations (0, 30, 445, and 2,230 μg kg-1) were used. Elevating AFB1 concentrations led to a decline in growth indexes, specifically the weight gain rate and the specific growth rate, although the survival rate remained unchanged. Morphological indicators showed a dose-dependent decline with AFB1 exposure. Intestinal MDA content and hindgut reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increased, while antioxidant indexes and digestive enzymes decreased with higher AFB1 levels. AFB1 negatively influenced hindgut tight junction protein and antioxidant-related gene expression while promoting inflammation-related gene expression. The presence of AFB1 in the experiment led to a decrease in beneficial intestinal bacteria, such as Prevotella, and an increase in harmful intestinal bacteria, such as Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group. Muscle lipid and unsaturated fatty acid content significantly decreased, while muscle protein and liver AFB1 content increased dramatically with higher AFB1 concentrations. AFB1 caused myofibrillar cleavage and myofilament damage, leading to increased spaces between muscle fibers. In conclusion, diets with AFB1 levels exceeding 30 μg kg-1 inhibited hybrid grouper growth, while levels surpassing 445 μg kg-1 resulted in hindgut ROS accumulation, inflammation, elevated intestinal permeability, reduced digestive enzyme activity, and compromised muscle quality.

Positive effects of dietary honey and aflatoxin B1 on serum enzymes, superoxide dismutase activity, β-glucuronidase enzyme activity, and colonic probiotic bacteria on rats

Dietary honey as a natural product can attenuate the inflammatory process and prevent several diseases. The current research aimed to assess some positive effects of dietary honey and aflatoxin B1 on serum enzymes, superoxide dismutase activity, β-glucuronidase enzyme activity, and colonic probiotic bacteria in rats. Four kinds of honey were coded as NSH, MOH, SIH, and PUH for Nigella sativa, moringa, pumpkin, and Sidr honey, respectively. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was daily administered orally for rats with a dose of 200 μg/kg until 90 days. The rat groups’ body weights at the beginning and end of the experiment ranged from 311.29 g to 327.55 g, and 302.97 g to 342.77 g respectively. Dietary honey decreased the values of some serum enzymes and protected the animals from AFB1 hepatotoxicity compared with the positive group (+). The concentrations of liver superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) among rat groups ranged from 19.55 u ·g in MOH+AFB1 rat group to 27.21 u·g in SIH+AFB1 rat group. Dietary honey was reported to defend the liver against aflatoxins and enhance the gut microflora as β-glucuronidase activity and colonic probiotic bacteria in rats.

Dietary aflatoxin B1 and zearalenone contamination affected growth performance, intestinal and hepatopancreas gene expression profiles and histology of the intestine and gill in goldfish, Carassius auratus

The effects of dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and/or zearalenone (ZEA) contamination on goldfish, was investigated. Total of 540 fingerlings, 6.25 ± 0.12 g, were randomly allocated to experimental groups comprised of factorial designation of different dietary AFB1 (0, 50 and 100 ppb) and ZEA (0, 500 and 1000 ppb) concentrations for 60 days. Each treatment was conducted in triplicate. Results showed dietary AFB1 and/or ZEA depressed the growth performance of fish; the highest and lowest weight gain (WG), final body weight, thermal growth coefficient (TGC) and daily growth coefficient (DGC) were observed in control group and AFB50ZEA1000, respectively (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary AFB1 and/or ZEA significantly affected the gene expressions of Caspase 3, Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, Glutathione S-transferases (GST) and Heat shock proteins 70 (HSP70) in a dose-dependent and tissue specific manner (hepatopancreas or intestine) (P < 0.05). In the hepatopancreas, the highest relative expression of Caspase 3 (2.08 ± 0.43), CYP1A1 (2.73 ± 1.18), GST (32.86 ± 4.03) and HSP70 (7.55 ± 2.35) genes were observed in AFB100ZEA1000, AFB50ZEA0, AFB0ZEA1000 and AFB0ZEA1000 groups, respectively (P < 0.05). However, the highest relative expression of Caspase 3 (39.70 ± 10.98), CYP1A1 (966.4 ± 68.6), GST (175.8 ± 37.1) and HSP70 (1.01 ± 0.22) genes in the intestinal tissue were observed in AFB100ZEA1000, AFB0ZEA1000, AFB100ZEA500 AFB0ZEA0 groups (P < 0.05). The highest scores of the intestine tissue inflammation (4.0 ± 0.75) and necrosis (4.0 ± 0.75) were observed in AFB100ZEA500 group (P < 0.05). The results indicated the significant contribution of the intestine in metabolism/excretion of the feed-born toxins. Furthermore, the results revealed that dietary AFB1 and/or ZEA contamination could negatively affect fish performance and detoxifying genes expression profiles at concentrations even lower than those indicated in the literature as the safe feed mycotoxin thresholds.

An integrated mycotoxin-mitigating agent can effectively mitigate the combined toxicity of AFB1, DON and OTA on the production performance, liver and oviduct health in broiler breeder hens

This study was to evaluate the efficacy of an integrated mycotoxin-mitigating agent in reducing the adverse effects of co-occurring dietary aflatoxin B1 deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A on broiler breeder hens. 360 30-week-old Hubbard Efficiency Plus broiler breeder hens were allocated into four groups and received a basal diet (BD; Control), BD added 0.15 mg/kg aflatoxin B1+1.5 mg/kg deoxynivalenol+0.12 mg/kg ochratoxin A (Toxins), BD plus Toxins with 0.1% TOXO-XL (Toxins + XL1), and BD plus Toxins with 0.2% TOXO-XL (Toxins + XL2), respectively, for 8 weeks, and then received the same BD for another 4 weeks. Compared with control, mycotoxins decreased total egg weigh, egg laying rate, settable eggs rate, hatch of total eggs rate, egg quality, but increased feed/egg ratio and mortality rate, and impaired the liver and oviduct health during weeks 1–8 and(or) 9–12. It also increased PC and MDA concentrations, TUNEL-positive cells and IL-1β and IL-6 expression, and decreased T-AOC, GPX and CAT activities in liver and/or oviduct. Notably, most of these negative changes were mitigated by both dosages of TOXO-XL. Generally, 0.2% TOXO-XL displayed better mitigation effects than 0.1% TOXO-XL. Conclusively, these findings revealed that TOXO-XL could mitigate the combined mycotoxins-induced toxicity on the performance, liver and oviduct health, through the regulation of redox, immunity, and apoptosis in broiler breeder hens.

Efficacy of Two Commercially Available Adsorbents to Reduce the Combined Toxic Effects of Dietary Aflatoxins, Fumonisins, and Zearalenone and Their Residues in the Tissues of Weaned Pigs.

Mycotoxins present a significant health concern within the animal-feed industry, with profound implications for the pig-farming sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two commercial adsorbents, an organically modified clinoptilolite (OMC) and a multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA), to ameliorate the combined adverse effects of dietary aflatoxins (AFs: sum of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2), fumonisins (FBs), and zearalenone (ZEN) at levels of nearly 0.5, 1.0, and 1.0 mg/kg, on a cohort of cross-bred female pigs (N = 24). Pigs were randomly allocated into six experimental groups (control, mycotoxins (MTX) alone, MTX + OMC 1.5 kg/ton, MTX + OMC 3.0 kg/ton, MTX + MMDA 1.5 kg/ton, and MTX + MMDA 3.0 kg/ton), each consisting of four individuals, and subjected to a dietary regimen spanning 42 days. The administration of combined AFs, FBs, and ZEN reduced the body-weight gain and increased the relative weight of the liver, while there was no negative influence observed on the serum biochemistry of animals. The supplementation of OMC and MMDA ameliorated the toxic effects, as observed in organ histology, and provided a notable reduction in residual AFs, FBs, and ZEN levels in the liver and kidneys. Moreover, the OMC supplementation was able to reduce the initiation of liver carcinogenesis without any hepatotoxic side effects. These findings demonstrate that the use of OMC and MMDA effectively mitigated the adverse effects of dietary AFs, FBs, and ZEN in piglets. Further studies should explore the long-term protective effects of the studied adsorbent supplementation to optimize mycotoxin management strategies in pig-farming operations.

Dietary aflatoxin B1 and antimalarial—a lumefantrine/artesunate—therapy perturbs male rat reproductive function via pro-inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms

We investigated the impact of Coartem™ (COA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on rats’ hypothalamus, epididymis, and testis. Male rats were randomly grouped (n = 5 rats) and treated: control group (corn oil), AFB1 (70 µg/kg), COA (5 mg/kg), COA + AFB1 (5 + 0.035 mg/kg) and COA + AFB1 (5 + 0.07 mg/kg) for 28 days. Blood samples were collected for serum prolactin, testosterone, follicle-stimulating and luteinising hormones (FSH and LH) assay upon sacrifice. The semen, hypothalamus, epididymis, and testes were harvested for morphological, biochemical, and histopathology determination of oxidative, inflammation stress, genomic integrity, and pathological alterations. Exposure to the COA and AFB1 caused the cauda epididymal spermatozoa to display low motility, viability, and volume, with increased abnormalities. Hormonal disruption ensued in animals exposed to COA and AFB1 alone or together, exemplified by increased prolactin, and decreased testosterone, FSH and LH levels. Treatment-related reduction in biomarkers of testicular metabolism—acid and alkaline phosphatases, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase—were observed. Also, COA and AFB1 treatment caused reductions in antioxidant (Glutathione and total thiols) levels and antioxidant enzyme (Catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione-S-transferase) activities in the examined organs. At the same time, treatment-related increases in DNA damage (p53), oxidative stress (xanthine oxidase, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and lipid peroxidation), inflammation (nitric oxide and tumour necrosis factor-alpha), and apoptosis (caspase-9, and -3) were observed. Chronic exposure to COA and AFB1 led to oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in male rats' hypothalamic-reproductive axis, which might potentiate infertility if not contained.

Disease burden contributed by dietary exposure to aflatoxins in a mountainous city in Southwest China.

Aflatoxins (AFT) identified as a Group 1 human carcinogen naturally contaminate various types of food and could increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through dietary intake. Chongqing municipality is located in Southwest China with subtropical monsoon climate which is conducive to AFT contamination in crops. However, the burden of HCC caused by the dietary exposure of the population in Chongqing to AFT has not been quantified. The burden of HCC was estimated in terms of Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) using FDA-iRISK software. Dietary exposure to AFT in three food categories including grain and its products, nuts and seeds, and spices was assessed. The lifetime average daily dose (LADD) of AFT exposure for the population ranged from 2.40 to 8.25 ng/kg bw/day and 9.51 to 15.10 ng/kg bw/day at the mean and heavy (P95) AFT contamination levels, respectively. Among the three food categories, grain and its products contributed most to AFT exposure of the population. The estimated DALYs related to HCC induced by AFT were 162,000-556,000 and 641,000-1,020,000; the DALY rates were 6.47-22.20 and 25.59-40.72 per 100,000 persons per year; and the population attribution fractions (PAF) were 1.68-5.78% and 6.66-10.60%. Although the burden of HCC caused by dietary AFT was estimated to be relatively low among the population, the overall health burden might be underestimated owing to the uncertainties of this dataset. Thus, the overall health burden associated with AFT intake should still be of concern in further studies.

Risk assessments for the dietary intake aflatoxins in food: A systematic review (2016–2022)

Aflatoxins (AFs) represent one of the major food safety concerns worldwide. Agricultural commodities including cereals and their derived products, oilseeds, nuts, spices, milk and milk products are highly susceptible to aflatoxin (AF) contamination that can occur pre-harvest, during harvest or post-harvest. Aflatoxicosis is a severe health syndrome associated with direct ingestion of AFs and can be classified as acute and chronic aflatoxicosis. Complete elimination of AFs even after the food processing is hard to achieve due to their high chemical and thermal stability which further makes it extremely difficult to achieve zero exposure through the consumption of contaminated food. Risk assessments play a vital role in managing and reducing the potential risks associated with AF consumption, thereby, ensuring food and consumer safety. Therefore, a commodity wise systematic review of the risk assessments published in the last 6 years (2016–2022) has been presented in the present study in order based on the most to least no. of European Union (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) incidents recorded for AFs. Results suggested a significant potential health risk from the dietary exposure to AFs through the consumption of all the studied food categories (nuts, nut products and oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, cereals and cereal products and milk and milk products) which held the largest number of AFs RASFF incidents. However, a need to conduct more risk assessments for ‘oilseeds’ commodity and food categories including ‘Fruits and vegetables’ and ‘Herbs and spices’ has been highlighted in the study. Additionally, a greater number of risk assessments are required to be conducted for the countries having the highest AFs RASFF notifications including Turkey, USA, Argentina, China and India. Age wise, the overall risk associated with dietary intake of AFs followed a decreasing trend with the increase in age.

Dietary aflatoxin B1 induces abnormal deposition of melanin in the corium layer of the chicken shank possibly via promoting the expression of melanin synthesis-related genes

San-Huang chicken is a high-quality breed in China with yellow feather, claw and break. However, the abnormal phenomenon of the yellow shank turning into green shank of San-Huang chicken has been a concern, as it seriously reduces the carcass quality and economic benefit of yellow-feathered broilers. In this study, the cause of this abnormal green skin in shank was systematically investigated. Physiological anatomy revealed that the abnormal skin in shank was primarily due to the deposition of melanin under the dermis. After analyzing multiple potential causes such as heredity (pedigree and genetic markers), environment (water quality monitoring) and feed composition (mycotoxin detection), excessive aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in feed was screened, accompanied with a higher L-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) (P<0.05) and melanin content (P<0.01). So it was speculated that excessive AFB1 might be the main cause of abnormal green skin in shank. Subsequently, the further results showed that a high concentration of AFB1 (>170 μg kg–1) indeed induced the abnormal green skin in shank compared to the normal AFB1 content (<10 μg kg–1), and the mRNA levels of TYR, TYRP1, MITE, MC1R and EDN3 genes related to melanin deposition would significantly up-regulate (P<0.01) and the content and activity of tyrosinase (TyR) significantly increased (P<0.05). At the same time, the content of L-DOPA and melanin deposition also increased significantly (P<0.01), which also confirmed the effect of excessive AFB1 on melanin deposition in skin of shank. Results of additional experiments revealed that the AFB1’s negative effect on melanin deposition in skin of shank could last for a longer time. Taken together, the results of this study explained the occurrence and possible mechanisms of the abnormal AFB1-related green skin in shank of chickens. Excessive AFB1 in diets increased the L-DOPA content and melanin abnormal deposition in the chicken shank possibly via promoting TyR content and activity, and the expression of melanin synthesis-related genes. Furthermore, our findings once again raised the alarm of the danger of AFB1 in the broiler production.

Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers of children 0-6 months in Makueni County, Kenya.

The southeastern region of Kenya is prone to aflatoxin outbreaks, yet maternal and infant aflatoxin intake levels remain unclear. We determined dietary aflatoxin exposure of 170 lactating mothers breastfeeding children aged 6 months and below in a descriptive cross-sectional study involving aflatoxin analysis of maize-based cooked food samples (n = 48). Their socioeconomic characteristics, food consumption patternsand postharvest handling of maize were determined. Aflatoxins were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package Software for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27) andPalisade's@Risk software. About 46% of the mothers were from low-income households, and 48.2% had not attained the basic level of education. A generally low dietary diversity was reported among 54.1% of lactating mothers. Food consumption pattern was skewed towards starchy staples. Approximately 50% never treated their maize, and at least 20% stored their maize in containers that promote aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin was detected in 85.4% of food samples. The mean of total aflatoxin was 97.8 μg/kg (standard deviation [SD], 57.7), while aflatoxin B1 was 9.0 μg/kg (SD,7.7). The mean dietary intake of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 was 7.6 μg/kg/b.w.t/day (SD, 7.5) and 0.6 (SD,0.6), respectively. Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers was high (margin of exposure < 10,000). Sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption patternsand postharvest handling of maize variably influenced dietary aflatoxin exposure of the mothers. The high prevalence and presence of aflatoxin in foods of lactating mothers are a public health concern and calls for the need to devise easy-to-use household food safety and monitoring measures in the study area.

Neurobehavioral and biochemical responses to artemisinin-based drug and aflatoxin B1 co-exposure in rats.

Populations in malaria endemic areas are frequently exposed to mycotoxin-contaminated diets. The possible toxicological outcome of co-exposure to dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and artemisinin-based combination therapy warrants investigation to ascertain amplification or attenuation of cellular injury. Here, we investigated the neurobehavioral and biochemical responses associated with co-exposure to anti-malarial drug coartem, an artemether-lumefantrine combination (5mg/kg body weight, twice a day and 3days per week) and AFB1 (35 and 70µg/kg body weight) in rats. Motor deficits, locomotor incompetence, and anxiogenic-like behavior induced by low AFB1 dose were significantly (p < 0.05) assuaged by coartem but failed to rescue these behavioral abnormalities in high AFB1-dosed group. Coartem administration did not alter exploratory deficits typified by reduced track plot densities and greater heat map intensity in high AFB1-dosed animals. Furthermore, the reduction in cerebral and cerebellar acetylcholinesterase activity, anti-oxidant enzyme activities, and glutathione and thiol levels were markedly assuaged by coartem administration in low AFB1 group but not in high AFB1-dosed animals. The significant attenuation of cerebral and cerebellar oxidative stress indices namely reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, xanthine oxidase activity, and lipid peroxidation by coartem administration was evident in low AFB1 group but not high AFB1 dose. Although coartem administration abated nitric oxide level, activities of myeloperoxidase, caspase-9, and caspase-3 in animals exposed to both doses of AFB1, these indices were significantly higher than the control. Coartem administration ameliorated histopathological and mophometrical changes due to low AFB1 exposure but not in high AFB1 exposure. In conclusion, contrary to AFB1 alone, behavioral and biochemical responses were not altered in animals singly exposed to coartem. Co-exposure to coartem and AFB1 elicited no additional risk but partially lessened neurotoxicity associated with AFB1 exposure.

Novel Insights into Total Flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynariae against Meat Quality Deterioration Caused by Dietary Aflatoxin B1 Exposure in Chickens.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a group of highly toxic mycotoxins that are commonly found in human and animal foods and threaten animal and human food safety. Total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynaria (TFRD), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, exert multiple biological activities such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation effects. Here, a total of 160 healthy 21-day-old male broilers were randomly divided into four groups: the CON group, the TFRD group, the AFB1 group, and the AFB1 + TFRD group. The study found that AFB1 exposure altered the breast meat quality-related indicators, including meat sensory and physical indicators. Metabolomics analysis further showed that the change in meat quality was closely associated with significantly differential metabolites of breast muscle. Furthermore, spotlighted amino acid content contributes to changes in the secondary structure of the myofibrillar protein by Raman spectroscopy analysis, which was associated with the oxidative stress and inflammatory response in AFB1-exposed breast meat. Meanwhile, dietary 125 mg/kg TFRD supplementation could effectively restore the changes in breast meat quality. Taken together, these results by multi-technical analysis revealed that AFB1 exposure causes deterioration of chicken meat quality and that TFRD may be a potential herbal extract to antagonize mycotoxicity.

The effect of dietary aflatoxin B1, thyme oil, and their combination on sustainability of meat production of broiler chickens

The effect of dietary aflatoxin B1, thyme oil, and their combination on sustainability of meat production of broiler chickens

Chronic Aflatoxin Exposure and Cognitive and Language Development in Young Children of Bangladesh: A Longitudinal Study.

Aflatoxin can cross the blood-brain barrier, damage brain tissues, and have the potential to harm the development of the human brain. Although dietary aflatoxin exposure is common in children, there is a paucity of data on aflatoxin exposure and child developmental outcomes. The child's cognitive, motor, and language functions were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III or BSID-III at the same time points. Association between exposure to aflatoxin and subtests of BSID-III were examined using mixed-effect linear regression. Aflatoxin assays were performed on 194, 167, and 163 children at 15, 24, and 36 months of age, and chronic aflatoxin exposure was detected in 20.6%, 16.8%, and 60.7% of children, respectively. Multi-variable analyses showed that aflatoxin exposure was independently related to the children's cognitive score (β: -0.69; 95% CI: -1.36, -0.02), receptive language score (β: -0.90; 95% CI: -1.62, -0.17), and expressive language score (β: -1.01; 95% CI: -1.96, -0.05). We did not observe any association between exposure to aflatoxin and the motor function of children. Chronic exposure to aflatoxin exposure was linked to reduced cognitive, expressive, and receptive language scores of the study children. Further research is needed in a different setting to confirm this novel finding.

Chronic aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy is associated with lower fetal growth trajectories: a prospective cohort from the Butajira Nutrition, Mental Health, and Pregnancy (BUNMAP) Study in rural Ethiopia

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus fungi, which are ubiquitously present in the food supplies of low- and middle-income countries. Studies of maternal aflatoxin exposure and fetal outcomes are mainly focused on size at birth and the effect on intrauterine fetal growth has not been assessed. In the present study, we examined the association between chronic aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy and fetal growth trajectories in a rural setting in Ethiopia. In a prospective cohort study, we enrolled 492 pregnant females, with a singleton pregnancy and before 28 wk of gestation. Serum aflatoxin B1-lysine concentration was measured using LC-tandem MS. Three rounds of ultrasound measurements were conducted to estimate fetal weight at mean ± SD gestational age weeks of 19.1 ± 3.71, 28.5 ± 3.51, and 34.5 ± 2.44. Estimated fetal weight was expressed in centiles using the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century (INTERGROWTH-21st) reference. We fitted a multivariable linear mixed-effects model to estimate the rate of fetal growth between aflatoxin-exposed (i.e., aflatoxin B1-lysine concentration above or equal to the limit of detection) and unexposed mothers in the study. Mothers had a mean ± SD age of 26.0 ± 4.58 y. The median (25th, 75th percentile) serum aflatoxin B1-lysine concentration was 12.6 (0.93, 96.9) pg/mg albumin, and aflatoxin exposure was observed in 86.6% of maternal blood samples. Eighty-five percent of the females enrolled provided at least 2 ultrasound measurements for analysis. On average, the aflatoxin-exposed group had a significantly lower change over time in fetal weight-for-gestational-age centile than the unexposed group (ß = -0.92; 95% CI: -1.77, -0.06 centiles/week; P=0.037). Chronic maternal aflatoxin exposure is associated with lower fetal growth over time. Our findings emphasize the importance of nutrition-sensitive strategies to mitigate dietary aflatoxin exposure and adopting food safety measures in low-income settings, in particular during the fetal period of development.

Dietary Aflatoxin B1 attenuates immune function of immune organs in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) by modulating NF-κB and the TOR signaling pathway.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is kind of a common mycotoxin in food and feedstuff. Aquafeeds are susceptible to contamination of AFB1. In teleost fish, the spleen and head kidney are key immune organ. Moreover, the fish skin is a critical mucosal barrier system. However, there was little study on the effects of dietary AFB1 on the immune response of these immune organs in fish. This study aimed to explore the impacts of oral AFB1 on the immune competence and its mechanisms in the skin, spleen, and head kidney of grass carp. Our work indicated that dietary AFB1 reduced antibacterial compounds and immunoglobulins contents, and decreased the transcription levels of antimicrobial peptides in grass carp immune organs. In addition, dietary AFB1 increased the transcription levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced the transcription levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the grass carp immune organs, which might be regulated by NF-κB and TOR signaling, respectively. Meanwhile, we evaluated the content of AFB1 in the grass carp diet should not exceed 29.48 μg/kg diet according to the levels of acid phosphatase and lysozyme. In summary, dietary AFB1 impaired immune response in grass carp skin, spleen, and head kidney.

Assessing an aflatoxin exposure biomarker: Exploring the interchangeability and correlation between venous and capillary blood samples

Exposure to dietary aflatoxins has been recognized as a potential threat to child nutrition and growth, in addition to being a known carcinogen. The ability to accurately assess concentration of aflatoxin in the blood of at-risk individuals is therefore very important to inform public health policies and on-the-ground programs around the world. Venous blood is frequently used to quantify biomarkers of exposure such as AFB1-lysine adducts. However, venous blood collection methods are invasive, requiring highly trained staff, which makes this method challenging to implement, especially in resource-limited settings. In contrast, capillary blood collection by fingerprick is less invasive and has the potential for application in point-of-need monitoring. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the correlation and interchangeability of capillary and venous human blood samples in the quantification of AFB1-lysine adduct concentration. A total of 72 venous and capillary blood samples were collected from 36 women of reproductive age (16–49 years) in northern Uganda. All sample specimens were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Regression analysis and Bland–Altman analysis were performed to compare AFB1-lysine concentrations between venous and capillary sample pairs. Bland-Altman analysis of albumin-normalized AFB1-lysine data-bias was −0.023 pg/mg-albumin and the 95% limits of agreement were 0.51 to −0.56 pg/mg-albumin for log-transformed data. There was a positive correlation between albumin-normalized venous and capillary AFB1-lysine concentrations with r of 0.71 (p < .0001). A lack of any accepted clinical cutoff for aflatoxin exposure makes definition of an ‘acceptable’ limit for statistical analysis and comparison of methods challenging. Our data suggests a positive correlation between albumin-normalized AFB1-lysine concentrations in venous and capillary sample pairs, but relatively weak agreement and interchangeability based on Bland-Altman analysis.