Thinking Out of the Box: On the Ability of Zea mays L. to Biotrasform Aflatoxin B1 Into Its Modified Forms

Laura Righetti; Enrico Rolli; Luca Dellafiora; Gianni Galaverna; Michele Suman; Renato Bruni; Chiara Dall'Asta

doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.599158

Thinking Out of the Box: On the Ability of Zea mays L. to Biotrasform Aflatoxin B1 Into Its Modified Forms

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Jan 12:11:599158. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.599158. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Laura Righetti¹, Enrico Rolli², Luca Dellafiora¹, Gianni Galaverna¹, Michele Suman³, Renato Bruni¹, Chiara Dall'Asta¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
² Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
³ Barilla G.R. F.lli SpA, Advanced Laboratory Research, Parma, Italy.

Abstract

While aflatoxin metabolism in animals has been clarified, very limited information is so far available on the possible biotransformation occurring in plants. Therefore, this work aimed at investigating whether AFB1 metabolites could occur in field-grown infected maize and the putative role of Zea mays L. metabolism in their production. For such scope, asymptomatic in vitro-grown plantlets and in silico evaluations of plant transforming enzymes were used to pinpoint how plants may handle these compounds. Our data demonstrated the role of maize plants in the production of Phase I hydroxylated aflatoxins, including, among others, AFM1, AFM2, and aflatoxicol, and suggest that plant cytochromes may be involved in this biotransformation of AFB1.

Keywords: Aspergillus; modified mycotoxins; pathogen fungi; plant resistance; xenobiotics.