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Food Research International (Ottawa,... Nov 2020The aflatoxins are hepatotoxic and carcinogenic metabolites produced by Aspergillus species during growth on crop products. In this regard, a systematic review to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The aflatoxins are hepatotoxic and carcinogenic metabolites produced by Aspergillus species during growth on crop products. In this regard, a systematic review to collect the quantitative data regarding the in vitro capacity of yeasts-based products to bind to aflatoxin B (AFB) and/or aflatoxin M (AFM) was performed. After screening, 31 articles which met the inclusion criteria was included and then the pooled decontamination of aflatoxins in the defined subgroups (the type of foods, pH, contact time, temperature, yeast species, and aflatoxin type) was calculated by the random effect model (REM). The overall binding capacity (BC) of aflatoxins by yeast was 52.05% (95%CI: 49.01-55.10), while the lowest and highest aflatoxins' BC were associated with Yeast Extract Peptone (2.79%) and ruminal fluid + artificial saliva (96.21%), respectively. Regarding the contact time, temperature, pH and type of aflatoxins subgroups, the binding percentages varied from 50.83% (>300 min) to 52.66% (1-300 min), 50.71% (0-40 °C) to 88.39% (>40 °C), 43.03% (pH: 3.1-6) to 44.56% (pH: 1-3) and 59.35% (pH > 6), and 48.47% (AFB) to 69.03% AFM, respectively. The lowest and highest aflatoxins' BC was related to C. fabianii (18.45%) and Z. rouxii (86.40%), respectively. The results of this study showed that variables such as temperature, yeast, pH and aflatoxin type can be considered as the effective factors in aflatoxin decontamination.
Topics: Aflatoxin B1; Aflatoxin M1; Aflatoxins; Aspergillus; Yeasts
PubMed: 33233146
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109505 -
Food Chemistry Dec 2018The study aimed to perform a meta-analysis on the fate of ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON) and total aflatoxin (TAF) during steps of bread and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Impact of unit operations during processing of cereal-based products on the levels of deoxynivalenol, total aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The study aimed to perform a meta-analysis on the fate of ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON) and total aflatoxin (TAF) during steps of bread and pasta-based products processing. A total of twenty and eight articles (549 data) collected from 1983 through June 2017 were included. Some of the investigated processing such as milling and fermentation caused an increase in the concentration of DON and TAF; although they reduce the concentration of ZEN and OTA. Also, heat processing (cooking) decrease the DON, OTA, and TAF and increase the concentration of ZEN in bread. Cooking reduces the concentration of DON and ZEN in the biscuit. Cooking of pasta reduces the content of DON; however, it increases the concentration of TFA. The findings showed that the mycotoxins and their fate were influenced differently by the unit operations steps involved in the preparation of the different cereal-based products.
Topics: Aflatoxins; Edible Grain; Food Contamination; Mycotoxins; Ochratoxins; Trichothecenes; Zearalenone
PubMed: 30064804
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.06.072 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2020Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins that contaminate many food crops. Maize and groundnuts are prone to aflatoxin contamination, and are the major sources of human... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins that contaminate many food crops. Maize and groundnuts are prone to aflatoxin contamination, and are the major sources of human exposure to aflatoxins, due to their high intake as staple foods, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Observational studies suggest an association between dietary exposure to aflatoxins during pregnancy and early childhood and linear growth in infants and young children.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects on pre- and postnatal growth outcomes when agricultural and nutritional education interventions during the post-harvest period that aim to reduce aflatoxin exposure are compared to usual support or no intervention. We assessed this in infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women at the household or community level in LMICs.
SEARCH METHODS
In July and August 2019, we searched: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Africa-Wide, LILACS, CAB Abstracts, Agricola, and two trials registers. We also checked the bibliographies of the included studies and contacted relevant mycotoxin organisations and researchers for additional studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs of agricultural education and nutritional education interventions of any duration, at the household or community level, aimed at reducing aflatoxin intake by infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women, in LMICs during the post-harvest period, compared to no intervention or usual support. We excluded studies that followed participants for less than four weeks. We assessed prespecified prenatal (at birth) and postnatal growth outcomes (during infancy, childhood, and adolescence), with linear growth (as the primary outcome), infectious disease morbidity, and unintended consequences.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently assessed study eligibility using prespecified criteria, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias of included RCTs. We evaluated the certainty of the evidence using GRADE, and presented the main results in a 'Summary of findings' table.
MAIN RESULTS
We included three recent cluster-RCTs reporting the effects of agricultural education plus post-harvest technologies, compared to usual agricultural support or no intervention. The participants were pregnant women and their children, lactating women and their infants (< 6 months), women of childbearing age, and young children (< 59 months), from rural, subsistence maize-farming communities in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. Two trials randomised villages to the intervention and control groups, including a total of at least 979 mother-child pairs from 60 villages. The third trial randomised 420 households, including 189 mother-child pairs and 231 women of childbearing age. Duration of the intervention and follow-up ranged between five and nine months. Due to risk of attrition bias, the overall risk of bias was unclear in one trial, and high in the other two trials. None of the included studies addressed the effects of nutritional education on pre- and postnatal growth. One trial reported outcomes not prespecified in our review, and we were unable to obtain unpublished growth data from the second trial, even after contacting the authors. The third trial, in lactating women and their infants in Tanzania, reported on the infants' weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) after six months. This trial found that providing agricultural education aimed at changing farmers' post-harvest practices to reduce aflatoxin exposure, by using demonstrations (e.g. handsorting, de-hulling of maize, drying sheets, and insecticides), may improve WAZ in infants from these farmers' households, on average, by 0.57 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 0.98; 1 study; 249 participants; very low-certainty evidence), compared to infants from households where the farmers received routine agricultural extension services. Another way of reporting the effect on WAZ is to compare the proportion of underweight infants (WAZ > 2 SD below the reference median value) per group. This trial found that the intervention may reduce the proportion of underweight infants in the intervention households by 6.7% (95% CI -12.6 to -1.4; 249 participants; very low-certainty evidence) compared to control households. No studies reported on unintended effects of agricultural and nutritional education.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Evidence on the effects on child growth in LMICs of agricultural or nutritional education interventions that reduce aflatoxin exposure was very limited; no included study reported on linear growth. Very low-certainty evidence suggested that agricultural education aimed at changing farmers' post-harvest practices to reduce aflatoxin exposure by using demonstrations, may result in an increase in WAZ, when compared to usual or no education.
Topics: Adult; Aflatoxins; Agriculture; Breast Feeding; Child, Preschool; Developing Countries; Female; Food Contamination; Growth; Humans; Infant; Kenya; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tanzania; Thinness; Zimbabwe
PubMed: 32270495
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013376.pub2 -
BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology Jun 2020Liver cirrhosis is characterized by fibrosis and nodule formation in the liver, due to a chronic injury, and subsequent alteration of the normal architecture of the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Liver cirrhosis is characterized by fibrosis and nodule formation in the liver, due to a chronic injury, and subsequent alteration of the normal architecture of the liver. Even though there is a huge effort to elucidate the possible etiologic factors of liver cirrhosis, a significant number of cases are cryptogenic, especially in Sub Saharan Africa, where there is a high burden of aflatoxin exposure. Aflatoxins are known to cause hepatocellular carcinoma, which share similar etiologic factors with liver cirrhosis. This study aimed to assess the association between aflatoxin exposure and the risk of liver cirrhosis.
METHODS
Relevant studies were identified through systematic searches conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar. Also, by searching the references of retrieved articles. The abstracts and full text were screened for eligibility and the risk of bias was assessed for each study using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for observational studies. The extracted data from included studies using Microsoft Excel were exported to Stata software version 15.0 for analyses. The overall pooled estimation of outcomes was calculated using a random-effects model of DerSimonian-Laird method at a 95% confidence level. The heterogeneity of studies was determined using I2 statistics. The presence of publication bias between studies was evaluated using the Begg's and Egger's tests and funnel plot. The protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the Prospero database with reference number ID: CRD42019148481.
RESULTS
A total of 5 studies published between the years 2005 and 2018 that met the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The meta-analysis showed that a significant increase in the risk of liver cirrhosis is associated with aflatoxin exposure (unadjusted pooled odds ratio (OR) = 3.35, 95% CI: 2.74-4.10, p = 0.000; I = 88.3%, p = 0.000; adjusted OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.84-3.39, p = 0.000; I = 0%, p = 0.429).
CONCLUSIONS
The present meta-analysis suggests that aflatoxin exposure is associated with a higher risk of liver cirrhosis.
Topics: Aflatoxins; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis; Risk Factors
PubMed: 32487162
DOI: 10.1186/s40360-020-00420-7 -
Food and Chemical Toxicology : An... Feb 2022Due to the globalization, mycotoxins have been considered a major risk to human health being the main contaminants of foodstuffs. Among them, AFB1 and OTA are the most...
Due to the globalization, mycotoxins have been considered a major risk to human health being the main contaminants of foodstuffs. Among them, AFB1 and OTA are the most toxic and studied. Therefore, the goal of this review is to deepen the knowledge about the toxicological effects that AFB1 and OTA can induce on human health by using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence techniques in vitro and in vivo models. The examination of the selected reports shows that the majority of them are focused on immunotoxicity while the rest are concerned about nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, neurotoxicity, embryotoxicity, reproductive system, breast, esophageal and lung toxicity. In relation to immunofluorescence analysis, biological processes related to AFB1- and OTA-toxicity were evaluated such as inflammation, neuronal differentiation, DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell death. In flow cytometry analysis, a wide range of assays have been performed across the reviewed studies being apoptosis assay, cell cycle analysis and intracellular ROS measurement the most employed. Although, the toxic effects of AFB1 and OTA have been reported, further research is needed to clarify AFB1 and OTA-mechanism of action on human health.
Topics: Aflatoxin B1; Animals; Apoptosis; DNA Damage; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Humans; Ochratoxins; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 34973406
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112798 -
Toxins Feb 2022The study presents a systematic review of published scientific articles investigating the effects of interventions aiming at aflatoxin reduction at the feed production...
The study presents a systematic review of published scientific articles investigating the effects of interventions aiming at aflatoxin reduction at the feed production and animal feeding phases of the milk value chain in order to identify the recent scientific trends and summarize the main findings available in the literature. The review strategy was designed based on the guidance of the systematic review and knowledge synthesis methodology that is applicable in the field of food safety. The Web of Science and EBSCOhost online databases were searched with predefined algorithms. After title and abstract relevance screening and relevance confirmation with full-text screening, 67 studies remained for data extraction, which were included in the review. The most important identified groups of interventions based on their mode of action and place in the technological process are as follows: low-moisture production using preservatives, acidity regulators, adsorbents and various microbiological additives. The results of the listed publications are summarized and compared for all the identified intervention groups. The paper aimed to help feed producers, farmers and relevant stakeholders to get an overview of the most suitable aflatoxin mitigation options, which is extremely important in the near future as climate change will likely be accompanied by elevated mycotoxin levels.
Topics: Aflatoxins; Animal Feed; Animals; Dairying; Food Contamination; Zea mays
PubMed: 35202142
DOI: 10.3390/toxins14020115 -
Mutation Research. Reviews in Mutation... 2016Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations play an important role in chemically-induced carcinogenesis. Although the epigenome and genome may be equally... (Review)
Review
Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations play an important role in chemically-induced carcinogenesis. Although the epigenome and genome may be equally important in carcinogenicity, the genotoxicity of chemical agents and exposure-related transcriptomic responses have been more thoroughly studied and characterized. To better understand the evidence for epigenetic alterations of human carcinogens, and the potential association with genotoxic endpoints, we conducted a systematic review of published studies of genotoxic carcinogens that reported epigenetic endpoints. Specifically, we searched for publications reporting epigenetic effects for the 28 agents and occupations included in Monograph Volume 100F of the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC) that were classified as "carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1) with strong evidence of genotoxic mechanisms of carcinogenesis. We identified a total of 158 studies that evaluated epigenetic alterations for 12 of these 28 carcinogenic agents and occupations (1,3-butadiene, 4-aminobiphenyl, aflatoxins, benzene, benzidine, benzo[a]pyrene, coke production, formaldehyde, occupational exposure as a painter, sulfur mustard, and vinyl chloride). Aberrant DNA methylation was most commonly studied, followed by altered expression of non-coding RNAs and histone changes (totaling 85, 59 and 25 studies, respectively). For 3 carcinogens (aflatoxins, benzene and benzo[a]pyrene), 10 or more studies reported epigenetic effects. However, epigenetic studies were sparse for the remaining 9 carcinogens; for 4 agents, only 1 or 2 published reports were identified. While further research is needed to better identify carcinogenesis-associated epigenetic perturbations for many potential carcinogens, published reports on specific epigenetic endpoints can be systematically identified and increasingly incorporated in cancer hazard assessments.
Topics: Animals; Carcinogenicity Tests; Carcinogens; Environmental Exposure; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gene Expression Regulation; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetic Variation; Humans; Mutagenicity Tests; Mutagens; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 27234561
DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2016.03.004 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi and identified as contaminants in animal feed. They have potentially harmful effects, including carcinogenicity,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi and identified as contaminants in animal feed. They have potentially harmful effects, including carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and repro-toxicity in animals and humans. As a result of climate change, there is the potential for a change in the prevalence and concentration of mycotoxins in animal feed components. This necessitates an assessment of the present and emerging threats to the food supply chain from mycotoxins. This systematic review and meta-analysis study synthesised studies on mycotoxin contamination and prevalence in cattle feed components. The studies were collected from scientific databases Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Embase between 2011 and 2022. The meta-analysis synthesised 97 studies on the prevalence and the concentration of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin and T-2/HT-2 toxins in feed components. Aflatoxin was highly prevalent (59 %), with a concentration of 2.58-3.92 μg kg in feed components. Ochratoxin A had a global prevalence of 31 % with a concentration of 5.56-12.41 μg kg. Deoxynivalenol had a global concentration of 233.17-327.73 μg kg and a prevalence of 74 %. Zearalenone had a prevalence of 70 % and a concentration of 42.47-66.19 μg kg. The concentration and prevalence of fumonisins was 232.19-393.07 μg kg and 65 %, respectively. The prevalence and concentration of T-2/HT-2 toxins were 45 % and 23.54-35.12 μg kg, respectively. The synthesised concentration of the mycotoxins in the overall feed components was lower than the regulated and guidance values set by the European Union. However, in a few cases, the 95th percentile exceeded these concentration values due to high levels of uncertainty attributed to lower sample size, and thus, need to be considered while conducting risk assessments. The study highlights climates and regions likely to be conducive to the emergence of mycotoxin risk, especially considering the potential influences of climate change.
Topics: Animal Feed; Mycotoxins; Animals; Food Contamination; Cattle; Aflatoxins
PubMed: 38608906
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172323 -
Food Chemistry Apr 2020Major databases were searched until January 2019 and 77 eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis to estimate the overall mean of AFM1 in milk in Iran. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Major databases were searched until January 2019 and 77 eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis to estimate the overall mean of AFM1 in milk in Iran. The mean of AFM1 levels was obtained 55.97 ng/kg (95% CI: 50.09-61.84). However, the pooled estimated mean of AFM1 levels in milk were 94.58 (95% CI: 70.24-118.92), 59.19 (95% CI: 51.84-66.54) and 35.23 ng/kg (95% CI: 31.53-38.92), considering 4, 55 and 18 TLC, ELISA and HPLC-based studies (including 354, 9224 and 2606 samples), respectively. Also, there is a wide variation of AFM1 levels among different geographical regions which were the highest in northern (88.77 ng/kg). The AFM1 contamination of milk taken from the areas with humid climate was higher than the arid climate. AFM1 Levels were the highest in winter (48.70 ng/Kg). The level of AFM1 in pasteurized, raw, and UHT milk were 49.76, 55.08 and 94.81 ng/kg, respectively.
Topics: Aflatoxin M1; Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Climate; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Food Contamination; Iran; Limit of Detection; Milk; Pasteurization; Seasons
PubMed: 31846793
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125848 -
Food Chemistry Jul 2024The purpose of this review was to investigate the current knowledge about aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) toxicity and the possible beneficial role of... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this review was to investigate the current knowledge about aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) toxicity and the possible beneficial role of bioactive compounds by using in vitro and in vivo models. Although AFB1 and OTA were tested in a similar percentage, the majority of studies focused on nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, immune toxicity and neurotoxicity in which oxidative stress, inflammation, structural damage and apoptosis were the main mechanisms of action reported. Conversely, several biological compounds were assayed in order to modulate mycotoxins damage mainly in the liver, brain, kidney and immune system. Among them, pumpkin, curcumin and fermented whey were the most employed. Although a clear progress has been made by using in vivo models, further research is needed to assess not only the toxicity of multiple mycotoxins contamination but also the effect of functional compounds mixture, thereby reproducing more realistic situations for human health risk assessment.
Topics: Humans; Aflatoxin B1; Ochratoxins; Mycotoxins; Liver
PubMed: 38489879
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.138909