Seasonal and gestation stage associated differences in aflatoxin exposure in pregnant Gambian women

Abstract

Objective Aflatoxin is known to cross the placental barrier and exposures in utero could influence genomic programming, fetal growth and development, resulting in long term health effects. We aimed to determine aflatoxin exposure in Gambian women at two stages of pregnancy and during the rainy and dry seasons. Methods We examined aflatoxin exposure in pregnant Gambian women at early (<16 weeks) and later (16 weeks onward) stages of pregnancy and at different times of the year, during the rainy (June to October 2009) or dry (November to May 2010) season, using aflatoxin albumin adducts (AF-alb). Results Mean AF-alb was higher during the dry season than in the rainy season, in both early and later pregnancy although the difference was strongest in later pregnancy. There was a modest increase in AF-alb in later than early pregnancy (geometric mean 41.8 vs 34.5 pg/mg, P <.0.05), but this was restricted to the dry season when exposures were generally higher. Conclusions The study confirmed that Gambian pregnant women were exposed to aflatoxin throughout the pregnancy, with higher levels in the dry season. There was some evidence in the dry season that women in later pregnancy had higher AF-alb levels than those in earlier pregnancy. Further research on the effects of exposure to this potent mutagen and carcinogen throughout pregnancy, including the epigenetic modification of fetal gene expression and impact on pre- and post-natal growth and development, are merited.

Comparison of urinary aflatoxin M1 and aflatoxin albumin adducts as biomarkers for assessing aflatoxin exposure in Tanzanian children

“…Our results reflect the seasonal variation of aflatoxin contamination that has been reported elsewhere (Castelino et al, 2014). An increase in aflatoxin contamination occurs after storage due to increased fungal growth and toxin production (Hell et al, 2003), which was reflected in the AFM1 results here, with levels higher at the second visit, when stored maize was being consumed.…”

Dietary determinants of aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct in pregnant women consuming a rice-dominated diet in Nepal

“…Seasonal variations in serum aflatoxin levels were apparent in this study, with the highest levels of exposure seen during the dry, cool winter. This strong association between AFB 1 -lysine adduct concentrations and winter season is consistent with the previous literature [2,[45][46][47]. Higher consumption of contaminated foods can come from either increased quantity consumed after harvest and/or consumption of lower quality, more contaminated foods that had been stored for long periods of time in either the household or market.…”

Mycotoxin exposure and adverse reproductive health outcomes in Africa: a review

“…In a subsequent study in Ghana, AF-alb adducts (range: 0.44-268.73 pg/mg albumin) were detected in 100% of 755 pregnant women (Shuaib et al, 2010b). Another cross-sectional study showed that AFalb adducts were found in 34 of 98 (35%) serum samples (range: 3.0-35.1 pg/mg albumin) and AFM 1 (range: 4.1-408.6 pg/mg creatinine) in 44 of 93 (48%) urine samples taken from pregnant Egyptian women (Piekkola et al, 2012), whilst AF-alb adducts were detected in 100% (99/99) of pregnant Gambian women (range: 4.8-521.6 pg/mg albumin during early pregnancy; 4.4-556.5 pg/mg albumin during later pregnancy) (Castelino et al, 2014). In a more recent study, urinary AFM 1 was reported in 30% of 1,580 pregnant women in Zimbabwe (Smith et al, 2017b).…”