Among all known mycotoxins, aflatoxins represent the most investigated, widespread and worrisome source of contamination of foods and feed worldwide. In the early 1960s, soon after the finding of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) in the feedstuffs of aquacultured rainbow trout that had died in an epizootic of hepatomas, great scientific discoveries were made in several areas by a number of researchers under the direction of scientists like J. Halver, R. 0. Sinnhuber, G. S. Bailey, J. D. Hendricks and colleagues. Since that time, several studies have focused on the identification of new isoenzymes involved in AFB 1 metabolism and on the discovery of new modulators in AFB 1 -induced cancer initiation and progression. However, metabolic and toxicological studies on aflatoxins in marine aquacultured species are fragmented and restricted to a limited number of fish species. Aflatoxins exert a substantial impact on the fish farming production, causing disease with high mortality and a gradual decline of reared fish stock quality, thus representing a significant problem in aquaculture systems. Based on these considerations, the goals of this review article are: (1) to gather the currently available scientific information, summarising existing data on aflatoxin contamination on feeds and fishmeals, and toxicological effects induced in reared aquatic species; (2) to make a comparative analysis of AFB 1 metabolism in the most representative species studied; (3) to gain new insights on the risk of DNA damage caused by aflatoxins on fish genomes and their role in cancer development.

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These results show that rIFNbeta-1b therapy increases sICAM-1 serum levels and reduces serum MMP-9 activity.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been identified as mediators of brain injury in HIV-associated neurological diseases, The activity of the 72 kDa gelatinase A (MMP-2) and 92 kDa gelatinase B (MMP-9) was detected by zymography in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 138 HIV-infected patients (40 with AIDS dementia, 83 with brain opportunistic infections and 15 neurologically asymptomatic), 26 HIV-seronegative individuals with inflammatory neurological diseases (IND) and 12 HIV-seronegative subjects with noninflammatory neurological diseases (NIND), MMP-2 was present in all CSF samples from HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative individuals, including those of subjects with NIND. On the contrary, MMP-9 was absent in the CSF of NIND controls, whereas the activity of this MMP was found in the 77-100% of CSF samples from HIV-infected patients, including those with HIV dementia, central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic infections or neurologically asymptomatic subjects, The highest levels of MMP-9 were found in the CSF of patients with cryptococcosis, cytomegalovirus encephalitis and tuberculous meningitis and were comparable with those found in the CSF of HIV-negative patients with multiple sclerosis or meningitis, A significant correlation between CSF MMP-9 activity and CSF cell count was found only in patients with HIV dementia, The increased CSF activity of MMPs capable to degrade components of the extracellular matrix of blood-brain barrier may contribute to the transendothelial migration of virus-infected cells into the CNS and development of HIV-associated neurologic damage

One hundred and twenty-two samples of cheeses made from goat and sheep milk and a mixture of the two types, produced in Southern Italy by industrial establishments or artisans, were analysed for the detection of fungal contamination and the presence of potentially toxigenic moulds. Only organoleptically acceptable cheeses without evident fungal contamination were studied. Among these, 40 were unripened, 30 medium and 52 long ripened cheeses. Moulds were found in 54 of the 122 analysed samples (44.3%). The most contaminated cheeses were the medium and long ripened ones (46.3% and 35.2%), and the industrial cheeses (59.1%). The artisan cheeses were the least contaminated (26.8%). Among the cheeses that tested positive, Penicillium species were the most frequently isolated (72.9%), followed by Geotrichum spp. (7.3%), Aspergillus spp. (4.2%) and Mucor spp. (4.2%). The potentially toxigenic species within the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus and Fusarium were mainly detected in sheep cheeses.

1. The effects of lycopene-enriched extenders on the in vitro quality of turkey semen including lipid peroxidation were examined after chilled and frozen storage. 2. Five pools of semen diluted in extenders containing 0, 0·05 or 0·1 mg/ml of lycopene were stored at 5°C for 48 h or cryopreserved as pellets and the following variables determined in fresh samples and samples stored chilled or frozen: sperm motility, viability, osmotic resistance, DNA integrity and lipid peroxidation (as malonaldehyde production). 3. Semen quality was generally compromised after storage, especially post-freezing. However, in the presence of the highest dose of lycopene, both the viability and osmotic-resistance of chilled spermatozoa and the DNA integrity of frozen spermatozoa were similar to those of fresh spermatozoa. 4. Greater lipid peroxidation was detected in refrigerated compared to fresh or cryopreserved spermatozoa. However, spermatozoa chilled in lycopene-enriched extenders showed significantly lower malonaldehyde levels than those chilled without lycopene, while the addition of lycopene to the freezing medium served to maintain the lipid peroxidation levels observed in fresh semen. 5. In conclusion, the presence of lycopene in the extender improved the survival of turkey spermatozoa after liquid-storage and protected DNA integrity against cryodamage. The beneficial effects of lycopene observed could be related to its capacity to diminish sperm lipid peroxidation during refrigeration or cryopreservation.

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The effects of 25 recently discovered plant lectins on cell proliferation and enzyme release were compared to those of previously known lectins on rat microglia and astrocyte cell cultures. A dose‐dependent proliferation of microglial cells, but not of astrocytes, was induced by seven lectins, whereas five lectins showed dose‐dependent cytotoxicity on both microglia and astrocyte cell cultures. The activity of gelatinase B (MMP‐9) was strongly increased in microglial cells by the aforementioned seven lectins, by concanavalin A, and by phytohemagglutinin (PHA‐E4), whereas gelatinase A (MMP‐2) remained at constitutive levels. The five cytotoxic lectins decreased the activity of gelatinase B in microglia and of gelatinase A in astrocytes, in a dose‐dependent manner. The lectin wheat germ agglutinin induced a decrease in gelatinase B activity in microglia, but stimulated gelatinase A and B activity in astrocytes. These results indicate that lectins possess neuromodulatory effects that may motivate the study of their effects on central nervous system (CNS) function in vivo. This, in turn, may lead to better insight into whether lectin or lectin‐like molecules can interact with glial cells, and whether they have a role in acute toxicity and in multifactorial diseases in which environmental factors may play a role. GLIA 27:53–61, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.