In vitro toxicity of aflatoxin B₁ and its photodegradation products in HepG2 cells

Abstract

The effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) were studied using the HepG2 cell line. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis and p53 expression were assessed after exposure to different concentrations of AFB1 (0-100 μM) and its two types of degradation products, namely the mixtures of photodegradation products in water (Pw) and the mixtures of photodegradation products in peanut oil (Po) for different time periods (0, 24, and 48 h). After exposure of the HepG2 cells to these compounds for different times and concentrations, the cytotoxicity of Pw and Po decreased approximately 40 and 100% compared with AFB1, respectively. The expression of p53 protein decreased significantly in AFB1-exposed cells, decreased slightly in Pw-treated cells and did not decrease compared to the untreated cells. The results of the in vitro cytotoxicity assay indicate that Pw is less toxic than AFB1, and Po has almost no toxicity, which can be explained by the differences in the chemical nature of the various kinds of the test compounds.

Ultraviolet irradiation detoxification of aflatoxins

“…They also investigated the toxicity of photodegradation products of AFB 1 in water (P w ) and peanut oil (P O ) on HepG2 cells, and found the cytotoxicity of P w and P O decreased about 40 and 100%, respectively. Their results showed that the P w is less toxic than AFB 1 , and the P O has almost no toxicity (Liu et al, 2012). According to the results from the Ames test and cytotoxicity of HepG2 cells, we have obtained similar results after being irradiated of AFB 1 in peanut oil using a photodegradation reactor .…”

Toxic effect of aflatoxin B1 and the role of recovery on the rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus

“…These changes were reversal after AFB1 withdrawal. This AFB1-induced cellular degeneration has been attributed to its apoptotic effect in several mammalian tissues, such as kidney and liver (Lei et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2012). AFB1-induced cellular apoptosis was also reported in the central and peripheral nervous system as a result of alterations in the neurochemical levels following repeated administration of aflatoxin (Ikegwuonu, 1983).…”

A Structure Identification and Toxicity Assessment of the Degradation Products of Aflatoxin B1 in Peanut Oil under UV Irradiation

“…Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation as a non-thermal technology is widely applied in the food industry for disinfection, which is also considered to be practical and cost-effective method to reduce aflatoxins for its photosensitive properties [8]. As an effective physical method, many studies have been done to investigate the efficiency of UV irradiation, the degradation product of aflatoxins, the safety of degradation products and quality of foods after being irradiated [9,10,11,12,13,14]. It was found that aflatoxins could be efficiently degraded by UV irradiation, and the degradation efficiency varied with the differences of irradiation conditions [9,10].…”

“…In addition, most studies were carried out on the Ames test and cytotoxicity of HepG2 cells of AFB 1 products after irradiation [10,13,16,17]. The toxicities of the photodegradation products of AFB 1 in water and peanut oil on HepG2 cells were investigated, and it was found that the cytotoxicity of products of AFB 1 in water decreased 40%, while that of products of AFB 1 in peanut oil reduced about 100% [13].…”