Immunological effects of AFM1 in experimental subchronic dosing in mice prevented by lactic acid bacteria

Abstract

Aim

Recently, higher contamination by aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) has been detected in many countries. Unfortunately, many tons of contaminated milk and milk byproducts are removed from the food chain to avoid human contamination; as a consequence of higher economic losses. Fewest number of studies are interested to AFM1 detoxification using lactic acid bacteria.

Materials and methods

In this study, AFM1-degradation using Lactobacillus paracasei BEJ01 (LPBEJ01) was tested in vitro. The preventive effect of LPBEJ01 against AFM1 immunobiological effects in mice are treated orally during 3 weeks with 100 µg AFM1, LPBEJ01 (2 × 10⁹ CFU/ml∼2 mg/kg p.c.) and a mixture of AFM1 and LPBEJ01.

Results

In vitro LPBEJ01 was found able to absorb 98% of AFM1 (100 µg/ml) in liquid medium after 24 h and more than 95% of AFM1 could be eliminated after 24 h in a solid-state fermentation. Animals treated with AFM1 obtained lower body weight than the control ones. The mitogenic response of spleen mononuclear cells (SMCs) in vivo was higher in mice treated with AFM1. The SMC of mice treated with AFM1 produced lower levels of IL-2, higher levels IL-4 and no effect on IL-10 production. The peritoneal macrophages of mice that treated with AFM1 released less H₂O₂, while mice exposed orally with the mixture of AFM1 and LPBEJ01 produced higher levels.

Conclusion

LPBEJ01 was safe and it did not have any sign of toxicity. It can be used as an additive for AFM1-detoxification contamination in the food chain in countries suffering from this problem.

Keywords:

• Aflatoxin M1
• Lactobacillus
• AFM1
• subchronic
• detoxification
• mice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the financial support granted to the first author to carry out this study as a part of TWAS-UNESCO Associateship Scheme in National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Iran as an excellent center in the south. The work was supported also by Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Unit of Immunology, Environmental Microbiology and Cancerology), Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja (Animal Biotechnology Department) and Laboratory of Genetic, Biodiversity and Bio-resources Valorisation, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.