Liver Cancer and Aflatoxin: New Information from the Kenyan Outbreak

Abstract

Asthma in Young Children Prenatal DDE Exposure May Increase RiskMost countries have banned the agricultural use of the organochlorine insecticide DDT because of the way this persistent, fatsoluble compound accumulates in the food chain. However, DDT is still widely sprayed in developing countries to combat malariabearing mosquitoes. Studies have linked exposure to DDT and its persistent metabolite p,p´-DDE to changes in the immune responses of human cells, and to asthma prevalence in children and adults. A longitudinal study now shows that prenatal exposure may provide the fundamental window for asthma susceptibility linked to DDT [EHP 113:1787-1790].Investigators collected umbilical cord blood from 482 children born on the Spanish island of Menorca and tested 84% for the presence of organochlorine compounds. DDT is not used on Menorca. However, the parents of the children in the study ate relatively large amounts of fish, which can be a source of exposure to DDT residues. According to self-reports of diet on questionnaires, more than half of the mothers ate fish more than twice a week during pregnancy.All of the children tested had p,p´-DDE in their cord serum (the median concentration was 1.03 nanograms per milliliter [ng/mL]). Serum levels tended to be higher in children with older mothers, although the mothers' fish consumption during pregnancy correlated poorly with the children's DDE levels. Each child's serum also contained hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls.The researchers correlated the children's prenatal exposure to risk of having asthma or atopy at age 4. Asthma was defined as one or more episodes of wheezing in the fourth year alone, one or more episodes of wheezing per year in consecutive years ("persistent wheezing"), or a physician's diagnosis of asthma. Atopy was defined as having blood levels of specific immunoglobulin E antibodies for dust mites, cats, or grasses. Of the initial participants, 97% provided medical information yearly through age 4 and 75% provided blood samples at age 4; 306 of these samples were tested for antibodies and for peripheral white blood cells, a sign of the underlying inflammation responsible for asthma.Wheezing was reported at age 4 for 11.6% of the children whose blood was tested for organochlorines. In addition, 12.6% of those who gave blood at age 4 had antibodies for the specified allergens in their blood. The risk of wheezing increased with the concentration of p,p´-DDE in the child's cord serum. Of the children in the lowest quartile of exposure (less than 0.57 ng/mL), 9% reported wheezing compared to 19% of the children in the highest quartile of exposure (more than 1.90 ng/mL). There were no correlations between wheezing in the children and maternal consumption of fish during pregnancy.There was no apparent link between atopy and the relationship between DDT and wheezing; children both with and without atopy had a similar increase of wheeze with increasing p,p´-DDE. The researchers speculate that the lack of an association between DDT exposure a...

DNA damage protection: an excellent application of bioactive compounds

“…Fungal strains produce certain metabolites under harsher conditions or in response to specific media components which contribute to cause certain cancers in humans. The metabolites termed as aflatoxins, especially AFT-B1 produced by Aspergillus spp., acts as hepatocarcinogen which results in abnormality and cirrhosis in liver (Feng et al 2017;Manova and Gruszka 2015;Hamid et al 2013;Asim et al 2011;Barrett 2005;Verma 2004;Jackson and Groopman 1999). A reactive epoxide may form in response to AFT-B1 which reacts at specific position (N7) of guanine and cause metabolic disfunctioning of liver.…”

Spoilage of oat bran by sporogenic microorganisms revived from soil buried 4000 years ago in Iranian archaeological site

“…7F). Both Aspergillus species are mycotoxin producers; A. flavus can produce aflatoxin, a powerful carcinogen and mutagen (Barrett, 2005).…”

A Spatio–Temporal investigation of risk factors for aflatoxin contamination of corn in southern Georgia, USA using geostatistical methods

“…Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin produced by fungi (Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus parasiticus) which can contaminate several staple crops such as peanut, (Brenneman et al 1993), millet (Wang et al 2010), rice (Abbas et al 2005), sorghum (Adegoke et al 1994), wheat (Patriarca et al 2014) and corn (Payne, 1992). Aflatoxin can cause liver cancer in humans and animals (Barrett, 2005 andFDA, 2012). The Food and Drug administration office (FDA) of the USA have set a limit of 20 ppb, total aflatoxin, to restrict use of corn, peanut products, cottonseed meal, and other animal feeds and feed ingredients intended for dairy animals, for animal species or intended for immature animals.…”