Aflatoxin G1

Aflatoxin G1 is an aflatoxin found in molds such as Aspergillus flavusand and Aspergillus parasiticus^[1-2]. Aflatoxin G1 can induce apoptosis and DNA damage and is primarily used in toxicology-related research^[3-4].

In vitro, A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells (0.5–10μg/mL) and MΦ-THP-1 human macrophage-like cells (4μg/mL) were treated with Aflatoxin G1 for 24 hours. Aflatoxin G1 activated the expression of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and SOD-2 in MΦ-THP-1 cells, while Aflatoxin G1 did not significantly affect the expression levels of related genes in A549 cells^[5]. LS-174T, HepG2, and ACHN cells were treated with Aflatoxin G1 (10nM–1μM) for 24 hours. Aflatoxin G1 induced the formation of γH2AX foci in all three cell lines^[6].

In vivo, male albino mice were intraperitoneally administered Aflatoxin G1 (20μg/kg) daily for consecutive periods of 7, 15, or 35 days. Aflatoxin G1 significantly increased the incidence of seminiferous tubule atrophy and abnormal reproductive indices, elevated the expression levels of p21 and cyclin D1 in testicular tissues, and decreased the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)^[7]. Male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally administered Aflatoxin G1 (2mg/kg) daily for consecutive periods of 15, 28, or 45 days. Aflatoxin G1 significantly increased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain tissue while reducing total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Aflatoxin G1 also induced necrosis and a reduction in normal cell numbers in the hippocampal CA1 region, along with cerebral edema, neuronal atrophy, perineuronal space formation, and cortical gliosis^[8].

References:
[1] Shih CN, Marth EH. Production of aflatoxin and its partition between the medium and the mycelium of Aspergillus parasiticus during incubation under various conditions. Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1975 Jul 24;158(4):215-24.
[2] Henderberg A, Bennett JW, Lee LS. Biosynthetic origin of aflatoxin G1: confirmation of sterigmatocystin and lack of confirmation of aflatoxin B1 as precursors. J Gen Microbiol. 1988 Mar;134(3):661-7.
[3] Ahmad MM, Qamar F, Saifi M, et al. Natural inhibitors: A sustainable way to combat aflatoxins. Front Microbiol. 2022 Dec 8;13:993834.
[4] Li Z, Cui J, Zhang X, et al. Aflatoxin G1 reduces the molecular expression of HLA-I, TAP-1 and LMP-2 of adult esophageal epithelial cells in vitro. Toxicol Lett. 2010 Jun 2;195(2-3):169-73.
[5] Yi L, Shen H, Zhao M, et al. Inflammation-mediated SOD-2 upregulation contributes to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migration of tumor cells in aflatoxin G1-induced lung adenocarcinoma. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 11;7(1):7953.
[6] Theumer MG, Henneb Y, Khoury L, et al. Genotoxicity of aflatoxins and their precursors in human cells. Toxicol Lett. 2018 May 1;287:100-107.
[7] Zamir-Nasta T, Pazhouhi M, Ghanbari A, et al. Expression of cyclin D1, p21, and estrogen receptor alpha in aflatoxin G1-induced disturbance in testicular tissue of albino mice. Res Pharm Sci. 2021 Mar 5;16(2):182-192.
[8] Zamir-Nasta T, Abbasi A, Kakebaraie S, et al. Aflatoxin G1 exposure altered the expression of BDNF and GFAP, histopathological of brain tissue, and oxidative stress factors in male rats. Res Pharm Sci. 2022 Oct 29;17(6):677-685.

Aflatoxin G1是一种在Aspergillus flavus和Aspergillus parasiticus等霉菌中发现的黄曲霉毒素^[1-2]。Aflatoxin G1可引起细胞凋亡和DNA损伤，主要被用于毒理学相关研究中^[3-4]。

在体外，Aflatoxin G1处理人类肺腺癌细胞系A549（0.5-10μg/mL）和人类巨噬细胞系MΦ-THP-1（4μg/mL）24小时。Aflatoxin G1激活MΦ-THP-1细胞中IL-1、IL-6、TNF-α和SOD-2的表达，而不影响A549细胞中相关基因的表达水平^[5]。Aflatoxin G1（10nM-1μM）处理LS-174T、HepG2、ACHN细胞24小时。Aflatoxin G1均能诱导γH2AX焦点的形成^[6]。

在体内，Aflatoxin G1（20μg/kg）腹腔注射处理不同周期的雄性白化小鼠，周期分别为连续7天、15天或35天。Aflatoxin G1显著增加了睾丸曲细精管的萎缩和生殖指数异常，同时提高了组织中p21和cyclin D1的表达水平，并降低了雌激素受体α（ERα）的表达^[7]。Aflatoxin G1（2mg/kg）每天一次腹腔注射，用于处理雄性Wistar大鼠，周期分别为连续15天、28天或45天。Aflatoxin G1显著增加了脑组织中丙二醛（MDA）的水平，同时降低了总抗氧化能力（TAC）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）的活性。Aflatoxin G1还能引起海马CA1区细胞坏死和正常细胞数量减少、脑水肿、神经细胞萎缩、神经胶质周围空间形成以及大脑皮层胶质增生扩散^[8]。