September 1997, Volume 3 No. 2

ARTICLE 7

Dietary factors affecting aflatoxin Bi carcinogenicity

Ayub MY¹ & Sachan DS^2
1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor.
² Department of Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT
This review paper describes briefly on the history of aflatoxins, the metabolism of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) that leads to the activation and detoxification of AFB₁, and the findings of some of the studies relating to food nutrients and additives, and drugs on AFBJ carcinogenicity and detoxification. Aflatoxins have been linked to many public health problems, especially to liver cancer incidences, in different parts of the world. Many studies have shown the potential of dietary factors modulating the formation of AFB₁ - DNA adduct, the initial and important step of AFB₁ carcinogenesis process. Among the food nutrients that have been shown to reduce the binding of AFB₁ to DNA are vitamin A, vitamin C and riboflavin. On the contrary, vitamin E and β-carotene increase the DNA binding. Choline-deficient animals when subjected to multiple doses of AFB₁ had higher amount of the DNA adduct being formed than the choline-sufficient animals. Carnitine supplement, feed restriction, and some vegetables and their extracts can also decrease the AFB₁ -DNA adduct formation. The observed and proposed mechanisms for the reduction include the inhibition of bioactivation of AFB₁ and induction of glutathione S-transferase activity that detoxify the activated AFB₁. However, more research is needed before nutritional recommendations could be given to the public to control AFB₁ toxicity and carcinogenicity.

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