Modulation of pre-neoplastic biomarkers induced by sequential aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 exposure in F344 rats treated with UPSN clay

Abstract

Populations consuming aflatoxin (AF) and fumonisin (FN)-contaminated foods may be at increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and developmental disorders; consequently, development of intervention strategies to reduce AF/FN-induced liver disease and adverse health effects in humans could be very useful. Calcium montmorillonite clay (NovaSil) has been shown to absorb AF in vitro, in multiple animal models, as well as in human studies. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether uniform particle size NovaSil (UPSN) possessed an ability to modulate the co-carcinogenic potentials of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) in F344 rats. Sequential treatment of FB₁ following AFB₁ synergistically induces preneoplastic alterations as well as liver damage, indicating that AFB₁ acts as an initiator while FB₁ as a promoter in the carcinogenesis model, confirming findings from previous studies. The enterosorbent agent UPSN clay at dose of up to 0.5% in diet was shown to be effective in modulating the toxicity and carcinogenicity of co-exposure to AFB₁ and FB₁, as demonstrated by significant reduction in number and size of hepatic GST-P⁺ foci, in alterations indicative of liver toxicity, and in levels of AFB₁ and FB₁ biomarkers.

Keywords: Aflatoxin; Carcinogenesis; Fumonisin; Uniform particle size NovaSil.