Mycotoxin-Linked Mutations and Cancer Risk: A Global Health Issue

Abstract

Humans continue to be constantly exposed to mycotoxins, mainly through oral exposure (dietary), inhalation, or dermal contact. Recently, it has been of increasing interest to investigate mycotoxin-linked carcinogenicity. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence of the association between mycotoxin-linked mutations and the risk of cancer, to provide an overview of the data linking exposure to different mycotoxins with human cancer risk, and to provide an update on current research on the risk of cancer associated with human exposure to mycotoxins. PRISMA guidelines were used when conducting the systematic review. PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL electronic databases were comprehensively searched to extract the relevant studies published from inception to May 2022. A total of sixteen relevant studies (4907 participants) were identified and included in this review. Of these, twelve studies were from Asia, while four of the studies were conducted in Africa. The overall meta-analysis result found no significant association, although some of the studies confirmed an association between mycotoxin-linked mutations and primary liver cancer risk. Mainly, the experimental studies have shown associations between mycotoxin-linked mutations and cancer risk, and there is a need for researchers to confirm these links in epidemiological studies in order to guide public health policies and interventions.

Zebrafish as model organisms for toxicological evaluations in the field of food science

“…Mycotoxins, metabolites produced by fungi growing in foods, can be harmful to human and animal health (Ekwomadu et al., 2022). To establish residue limit standards in foods, it is important to study the toxicological mechanism of individual mycotoxins.…”

Nafion-Immobilized Functionalized MWCNT-based Electrochemical Immunosensor for Aflatoxin B1 Detection

“…Aflatoxins are mainly produced by some fungal strains such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus under humid and hot conditions, , which have been regarded as the most toxic mycotoxins in nature. , Of them, aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) is extremely toxic, with the characteristics of accumulation and concealment, and is usually found in foods, feedstuffs, and traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), − thus accumulating in the kidney and liver of the human body to cause growth disorders, fibrous lesions, and fibrous tissue proliferation. − AFB 1 has been classified as a group IA carcinogen − and is strictly limited in food and agricultural products in the world . Thus, there is great urgency and necessity for reliable techniques to monitor AFB 1 at trace levels in diverse complex matrices.…”

Advancing Global Health Surveillance of Mycotoxin Exposures using Minimally Invasive Sampling Techniques: A State-of-the-Science Review

“…Among the mycotoxins, aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON), and zearalenone (ZEA) pose the greatest threats to global health. , The European Human Biomonitoring initiative (HBM4 EU) recently labeled aflatoxin B1 (AFB 1 ), DON, and fumonisin B1 (FB 1 ) as “prioritized chemicals of concern” and there is growing interest in monitoring and reducing mycotoxin exposure levels globally . While much progress has been made in measuring aflatoxin exposure biomarkers to understand disease etiology and evaluate public health interventions to reduce exposures, , there remains a paucity of high-quality longitudinal epidemiologic data on human exposures to most mycotoxins and associated health risks, especially in children. , Although much can be attributed to a lack of proper surveillance in many parts of the world, the surveillance mechanisms which exist primarily involve measurements of food contamination (i.e., food sampling) rather than measurements of human exposures (i.e., biological sampling).…”