Review of the Biological and Health Effects of Aflatoxins on Body Organs and Body Systems

Abstract

"flatoxins are a group of naturally occurring carcinogens that are known to contaminate different human and animal food stuffs. "flatoxins are poisonous by-products from soil-borne fungus Aspergillus, which is responsible for the decomposition of plant materials [ -]. The occurrence of aflatoxins foods and food products vary with geographic location, agricultural and agronomic practices. The susceptibility of food product to fungal attack occurs during pre-harvest, transportation, storage, and processing of the foods [ , , , , , ]. The problem of aflatoxin contamination of the food products is a common problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world especially in the developing countries such as the sub-Saharan countries with poor practices and where the environmental conditions of warm temperatures and humidity favors the growth fungi [ , , , , , ]. The various food products contaminated with aflatoxins include cereals like maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice and wheat oilseeds such as groundnut, soybean, sunflower and cotton spices like chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric and zinger tree nuts such as almonds, pistachio, walnuts and coconut and milk and milk products [ ]. The aflatoxins were initially isolated and identified as the causative agent in Turkey X disease that caused necrosis of the liver in and over , turkeys died in England and US" and the death was attributed to the consumption of a mould-contaminated peanut meal [ , , , , ]. Very high concentrations of aflatoxins are most often found in nutritive seeds such as maize, nuts and cereal grains in "frica and rice in China and Southeast "sia [ , , , -].

Fungi as a source of natural coumarins production

“…Aflatoxins M 1 and M 2 are hydroxylated products of aflatoxin B 1 and B 2 (Fig. 5) (Bbosa et al 2013b;Szumski et al 2014;Wang et al 2016).…”

Effects of different mycotoxins on humans, cell genome and their involvement in cancer

“…Among the different mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 has been reported as the highest carcinogenic mycotoxin (2) and aflatoxin B1 can penetrate the cell membrane and attach to its DNA where it causes irreversible mutations (2). The chemical nature of aflatoxins makes it a highly liposoluble compound that can be absorbed from the site of exposure such as from the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract to the blood stream where it can move throughout the body (3). The exposure to these carcinogenic mycotoxins can be through the ingestion of the contaminated food that ends up in the stomach where it gets absorbed or by inhaling the dust particles of aflatoxins B1 from the food that is contaminated with these aflatoxins (3).…”

“…The chemical nature of aflatoxins makes it a highly liposoluble compound that can be absorbed from the site of exposure such as from the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract to the blood stream where it can move throughout the body (3). The exposure to these carcinogenic mycotoxins can be through the ingestion of the contaminated food that ends up in the stomach where it gets absorbed or by inhaling the dust particles of aflatoxins B1 from the food that is contaminated with these aflatoxins (3). Once the aflatoxins enter the cells, they are metabolized by the action of cytochrome P450, a microsomal enzyme to aflatoxin-8, 9-epoxide in the detoxification metabolic pathway for aflatoxins.…”

“…Once the aflatoxins enter the cells, they are metabolized by the action of cytochrome P450, a microsomal enzyme to aflatoxin-8, 9-epoxide in the detoxification metabolic pathway for aflatoxins. It is highly reactive and unstable and requires the binding to a DNA or to the protein molecule in order to become more stable (3). Once the highly unstable aflatoxin-8, 9-epoxide binds to the DNA molecule with high affinity, it forms aflatoxin-N7-guanine that cause a guanine (G) to thymine (T) transversion mutations which will directly affect the cell cycle by affecting the P53 gene which carries the codes for tumor suppressor proteins, meant to inhibit the development of tumors and cancers (3).…”

STUDY OF AFLATOXIN B1-DESTROYING ACTIVITY OF Gliocladium roseum AND Trichoderma viride AND THEIR АNTAGONISM TOWARD TOXIGENIC Aspergillus flavus

“…Because of hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity and teratogenicity, aflatoxins are dangerous for the vast majority of warm-blooded organisms [1]. Feed contamination with aflatoxins can cause animal death or decreased production, and also lead to food stuff contamination [2].…”