Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2014 Apr-May;217(4-5):443-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.08.007. Epub 2013 Sep 2.
Aflatoxin is ubiquitously found in many foodstuffs and produced by Aspergillus species of fungi. Of many aflatoxin metabolites, AFB1 is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as group one carcinogen and linked to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The study on molecular biomarker of aflatoxin provides a better assessment on the extent of human exposure to aflatoxin. In Malaysia, the occurrences of aflatoxin-contaminated foods have been documented, but there is a lack of data on human exposure to aflatoxin. Hence, this study investigated the occurrence of AFB1-lysine adduct in serum samples and its association with liver and kidney functions. 5ml fasting blood samples were collected from seventy-one subjects (n=71) for the measurement of AFB1-lysine adduct, albumin, total bilirubin, AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), GGT (gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase), creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen). The AFB1-lysine adduct was detected in all serum samples (100% detection rate) with a mean of 6.85±3.20pg/mg albumin (range: 1.13-18.85pg/mg albumin). Male subjects (mean: 8.03±3.41pg/mg albumin) had significantly higher adduct levels than female subjects (mean: 5.64±2.46pg/mg albumin) (p<0.01). It was noteworthy that subjects with adduct levels greater than average (>6.85pg/mg albumin) had significantly elevated level of total bilirubin (p<0.01), GGT (p<0.05) and creatinine (p<0.01). Nevertheless, only the level of total bilirubin, (r=0.347, p-value=0.003) and creatinine (r=0.318, p-value=0.007) showed significant and positive correlation with the level of AFB1-lysine adduct. This study provides a valuable insight on human exposure to aflatoxin in Malaysia. Given that aflatoxin can pose serious problem to the health, intervention strategies should be implemented to limit/reduce human exposure to aflatoxin. Besides, a study with a big sample size should be warranted in order to assess aflatoxin exposure in the general population of Malaysia.
黄曲霉毒素广泛存在于许多食品中，由曲霉菌属真菌产生。在许多黄曲霉毒素代谢物中，国际癌症研究机构 (IARC) 将 AFB1 归类为一类致癌物，并与肝细胞癌 (HCC) 的发展有关。黄曲霉毒素分子生物标志物的研究提供了对人类接触黄曲霉毒素程度的更好评估。在马来西亚，已记录到受黄曲霉毒素污染的食品的发生，但缺乏人类接触黄曲霉毒素的数据。因此，本研究调查了血清样品中 AFB1-赖氨酸加合物的发生情况及其与肝肾功能的关系。从 71 名受试者（n=71）中采集 5ml 空腹血样，用于测量 AFB1-赖氨酸加合物、白蛋白、总胆红素、AST（天冬氨酸氨基转移酶）、ALT（丙氨酸氨基转移酶）、ALP（碱性磷酸酶）、GGT（γ-谷氨酰转肽酶）、肌酐和 BUN（血尿素氮）。所有血清样品均检测到 AFB1-赖氨酸加合物（检测率为 100%），平均水平为 6.85±3.20pg/mg 白蛋白（范围：1.13-18.85pg/mg 白蛋白）。男性受试者（平均：8.03±3.41pg/mg 白蛋白）的加合物水平明显高于女性受试者（平均：5.64±2.46pg/mg 白蛋白）（p<0.01）。值得注意的是，加合物水平高于平均值（>6.85pg/mg 白蛋白）的受试者总胆红素（p<0.01）、GGT（p<0.05）和肌酐（p<0.01）水平显著升高。然而，只有总胆红素（r=0.347，p 值=0.003）和肌酐（r=0.318，p 值=0.007）水平与 AFB1-赖氨酸加合物水平呈显著正相关。本研究为马来西亚人群接触黄曲霉毒素提供了有价值的见解。鉴于黄曲霉毒素会对健康造成严重问题，应实施干预策略以限制/减少人类接触黄曲霉毒素。此外，应该进行具有更大样本量的研究，以评估马来西亚普通人群的黄曲霉毒素暴露情况。
