This study investigated whether aflatoxin contamination of peanut products may contribute to the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Sudan. Thirty-seven peanut butter and peanut samples were collected from local markets. Aflatoxin concentrations were significantly higher in West Sudan [87.4 +/- 197.3 (SD) micrograms/kg], a high-risk area, than in Central Sudan (8.5 +/- 6.8 micrograms/kg), a low-risk area. In West Sudan, humid local storage conditions of peanut products were related to high aflatoxin concentrations. In a small case-control study of HCC patients (n = 24) and controls (n = 34), an odds ratio of 7.5 (95% confidence interval = 1.4-40.2) was observed for humid vs. dry local storage conditions. Development of an index of individual HCC exposure was less successful, probably because of year-to-year variability in aflatoxins in food. These preliminary findings justify further research into the role of aflatoxins and hepatitis in HCC incidence in Sudan.

Peanut meal naturally contaminated with 3.5 mg/kg aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was spiked with radiolabelled AFB1 (meal 14C-I0) and decontaminated by a small-scale copy of an industrial ammoniation process (meal 14C-I1). During the process 15% of the radioactivity was lost, whereas 90% of the remaining radiolabel could not be extracted from the meal. In the extractable part, AFB1 accounted for 10% of the radiolabel, consistent with a total AFB1 reduction of more than 99%. No degradation products were observed in the extracts. Four lactating cows were fed with a diet containing 15% of either meal 14C-I0 or 14C-I1 for 10 days. On day 9 of this treatment, respectively 23 and 67% of the radiolabel was excreted in the urine and faeces of cows fed meal 14C-I0, as compared with 2 and 101% in the case of cows fed meal 14C-I1. Milk contained respectively 1.35 (meal 14C-I0) and 0.25% (meal 14C-I1) of the radiolabel. Milk samples taken during the equilibrium stage contained respectively 5 and 0.5 ng/ml of AFB1-derived compounds. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) accounted for 50-80% of these compounds in the case of milk from cows fed 14C-I0, as compared with 6-20% in the case of 14C-I1. AFB1 to AFM1 carry-over rates for 14C-I0 or 14C-I1 were estimated to be respectively 0.5 and 5.9%. Only liver and kidney samples contained detectable levels of the radiolabel, being respectively 260 and 37 micrograms/kg for cows fed meal 14C-I0, and 10 and 3 micrograms/kg for those fed meal 14C-I1. In the latter case, more than 55% of the radiolabel in the liver could not be extracted, as compared with 90% in the group fed meal 14C-I1. A small part of the extractable radiolabel in the livers of cows fed meal 14C-I0 could be attributed to AFB1 and AFM1 (less than 1% of total radioactivity). In the case of the animals fed 14C-I1 there were indications for the presence of AFB1 and AFM1 (6% of total radioactivity). Decontamination of the highly contaminated (non-radiolabelled) peanut meal by two different industrial ammoniation processes, resulted in a similar reduction of the initial AFB1 levels of 3.5 mg/kg to 15 micrograms/kg. Feeding of diets containing 15% of the non-treated and two treated peanut meals to cows for a period of 10 days, resulted in AFM1 levels in milk of respectively 2.1, 0.04 and 0.07 ng/ml. AFB1 to AFM1 carry-over rates were calculated to be respectively 0.5, 2.0, and 3.6%. It is concluded that the efficient reduction of aflatoxin levels by ammoniation of contaminated peanut meal results in a strong reduction of aflatoxin-related residues in milk and meat of cows, most likely caused by a decreased bioavailability of the degradation products.

1. The major metabolite resulting from the biotransformation of furaltadone (5-morpholinomethyl-3-[5-nitrofurfurylidene-amino]-2-oxazoli dinone) by pig hepatocytes was shown to result from the N-oxidation of the tertiary nitrogen in the morpholino-ring, leaving the nitrofuran ring unchanged. 2. No evidence could be obtained for the formation of an open-chain cyano-metabolite, a minor metabolite in the case of the related nitrofuran drug furazolidone (N-(5-nitro-2-furfurylidene)-3-amino-2-oxazolidinone). This metabolite was the major metabolite, following incubation of furaltadone and furazolidone with Salmonella typhimurium bacteria. 3. The N-oxide was not further metabolized by pig hepatocytes or bacteria, and gave negative test results in the Ames-test (TA 100, no S9-mix) at the highest tested dose of 1 microgram/plate. Furaltadone gave a positive result at 10 ng/plate. 4. The biotransformation of both drugs by pig hepatocytes and bacteria resulted in the formation of protein-bound metabolites, with no clear quantitative differences between the two drugs. The intact 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) and 5-morpholinomethyl-3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ) side-chains of furazolidone and furaltadone, respectively, could be released from these metabolites by mild acid treatment. 5. Hepatocytes incubated with the AMOZ side-chain of furaltadone showed a decreased monoamine oxidase activity at high dose levels (IC50 3.7 mM), whereas exposure to the AOZ side-chain of furazolidone resulted in a clear inhibition at 10,000-fold lower concentrations (IC50 0.5 microM). In the presence of 1% dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), the MAO-inhibition by AMOZ and especially AOZ was remarkably reduced. 6. It is concluded that protein-bound metabolites containing an intact and releasable side-chain might be present in tissues of animals treated with furaltadone. However, these residues might be of less toxicological concern than those of furazolidone.

1. The metabolism and cytotoxicity of the antimicrobial nitrofuran drug furazolidone have been studied in Caco-2, HEp-2 and V79 cell lines. Free radical production, metabolite pattern, formation of bound residues, inhibition of cellular replication and protection by the antioxidant glutathione were compared for the three cell lines. 2. All three cell lines produced the same nitro-anion radical with similar kinetics. Little further metabolic breakdown was observed in V79 cells, whereas Caco-2 and HEp-2 cells showed extensive degradation of furazolidone, but with different end patterns. 3. Under hypoxic conditions, the colony-forming ability was extensively impaired in HEp-2 cells whereas the other two cell lines were less affected, suggesting that irreversible damage to DNA occurred prevalently in HEp-2 cells. In V79 cells the absence of oxygen caused a 25-fold increase in the formation of protein-bound residues. 4. Brief exposure to furazolidone caused a 50% loss of endogenous glutathione in Caco-2 cells, but no loss could be detected in V79 and HEp-2 cells. Consistently, when glutathione was depleted by buthionine-[S,R]-sulphoximine (BSO) and diethylmaleate (DEM) treatment, the viability of V79 and HEp-2 cells was minimally affected by furazolidone, whereas that of Caco-2 cells was substantially reduced. 5. It is concluded that the cytotoxicity of furazolidone in these cell lines can be exerted by a number of different mechanisms, possibly related to different metabolic pathways. The cytotoxicity of nitrofuran drugs, therefore, cannot be ascribed to a single toxic intermediate, but in Caco-2 cells furazolidone is extensively metabolized and detoxified by GSH, in V79 is only partially activated and then bound to proteins, whereas in HEp-2, once activated, may react with DNA.

One of the most important concerns in the decontamination of aflatoxin-containing feed commodities is the safety of the products for food-producing animals and for human consumption of products derived from these animals. A new method, based on the use of florisil and C18 solid phase extraction columns, was developed for the preparation of extracts from decontaminated peanut meal, which allowed testing with in vitro genotoxicity assays without interference of the residual aflatoxin B1. Recovery of degradation products in the extracts was evaluated by the use of radiolabelled [14C]-aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) added to naturally-contaminated peanut meal (3.5 mg AFB1/kg). The meal was treated by a small-scale version of an industrial decontamination process based on ammoniation. Following decontamination, more than 90% of the label could not be extracted from the meal. AFB1 accounted for about 10% of the radiolabel present in the extractable fraction, indicating a total AFB1 reduction of more than 99%. Decontamination of the meal by a number of other small- and industrial-scale ammonia-based processes resulted in similar efficiencies. Application of the extraction procedure resulted in AFB1-rich and AFB1-poor fractions, the latter containing half of the extractable decontamination products but less than 1% of the residual AFB1. Testing in the Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay (TA 100, with S9-mix) of the original crude extracts and AFB1-rich fractions prepared from non-treated and decontaminated meal, showed the positive results expected from the AFB1 contents as determined by HPLC analysis. Analysis and testing of the AFB1-poor fractions showed that the various decontamination processes not only resulted in a successful degradation of AFB1 but also did not produce other potent mutagenic compounds. Slight positive results obtained with these extracts were similar for the untreated and treated meals and may be due to unknown compounds originally present in the meal. Results obtained with an unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) and Comet assay with rat hepatocytes supported this conclusion. Positive results obtained with the micronucleus assay, using immortalized mouse hepatocytes (GKB), did not clearly reflect the mycotoxin levels and require further examination. It is concluded that the newly developed extraction procedure yields highly reproducible fractions and hence is very suitable for examining the possible formation of less potent degradation products of aflatoxins in short-term genotoxicity tests.