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Natural Toxins from Plant and Food

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 15171

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Prof. Dr. Benito Soto-Blanco

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Interests: environmental toxicology; food contaminants; natural toxins; plant toxins; toxic plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toxins are secondary metabolites produced by plants, molds, mushrooms, algae, and bacteria that may impair human and animal health.

Numerous plant species are responsible for the poisoning of humans and animals. Mycotoxins are produced by several mold species on numerous foodstuffs such as cereals, nuts, dried fruits, and spices. Main mycotoxins associated with human and animal poisonings include aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, ergot alkaloids, ochratoxin A, and patulin.

Mushroom poisonings are caused by the consumption of toxic wild mushrooms, usually misidentified as edible species. Mushroom toxins include alpha-amanitin, muscarine, muscimol, and phallotoxin. Clinical signs of the poisoning are variable depending on the toxin, varying from gastrointestinal irritation to death.

Poisoning can be caused by the consumption of some shellfish and fish containing toxins. Blooms of certain algae and cyanobacteria in the ocean and freshwater may generate toxins that may accumulate in shellfish and fish. Furthermore, reel fish (such as barracuda, grouper, moray eel, and amberjack) can be contaminated with ciguatoxins produced by Gambierdiscus toxicus and other dinoflagellates.

The contamination of food by bacterial toxins is a frequent cause of poisoning. Food-borne bacterial toxins include those produced by Clostridium, Staphylococcus, and Bacillus. Bacterial toxins are classified as endotoxins and exotoxins. Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, released after membrane breakdown, stimulating inflammatory responses. Exotoxins are secreted or released by bacteria (usually Gram-positive) but are not a structural part of the microorganism.

This Special Issue aims at collecting original articles and reviews dealing with the occurrence and prevalence, health impacts, mechanisms of toxicity, interactions with other toxicants and/or nutrients, analytical methods for identification and quantification, and strategies to minimize the impact of natural toxins.

Prof. Dr. Benito Soto-Blanco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

algal toxins
aquatic biotoxins
bacterial toxins
mushroom poisoning
mycotoxins
plant toxins
toxic plants

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 14503 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ageritin—The Ribotoxin-like Protein from Poplar Mushroom (Cyclocybe aegerita) Sensitizes Primary Glioblastoma Cells to Conventional Temozolomide Chemotherapy

by Rossella Rotondo, Sara Ragucci, Salvatore Castaldo, Nicola Landi, Maria Antonietta Oliva, Paolo V. Pedone, Antimo Di Maro and Antonietta Arcella

Molecules 2022, 27(8), 2385; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27082385 - 07 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

Here, we propose Ageritin, the prototype of the ribotoxin-like protein family, as an adjuvant treatment to control the growth of NULU and ZAR, two primary human glioblastoma cell lines, which exhibit a pharmacoresistance phenotype. Ageritin is able to inhibit NULU and ZAR growth with an IC50 of 0.53 ± 0.29 µM and 0.42 ± 0.49 µM, respectively. In this study, Ageritin treatment highlighted a macroscopic genotoxic response through the formation of micronuclei, which represents the morphological manifestation of genomic chaos induced by this toxin. DNA damage was not associated with either the deregulation of DNA repair enzymes (i.e., ATM and DNA-PK), as demonstrated by quantitative PCR, or reactive oxygen species. Indeed, the pretreatment of the most responsive cell line ZAR with the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) did not follow the reverse cytotoxic effect of Ageritin, suggesting that this protein is not involved in cellular oxidative stress. Vice versa, Ageritin pretreatment strongly enhanced the sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) and inhibited MGMT protein expression, restoring the sensitivity to temozolomide. Overall, Ageritin could be considered as a possible innovative glioblastoma treatment, directly damaging DNA and downregulating the MGMT DNA repair protein. Finally, we verified the proteolysis susceptibility of Ageritin using an in vitro digestion system, and considered the future perspective use of this toxin as a bioconjugate in biomedicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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12 pages, 1233 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Reduction of the Fusarium Mycotoxins: Deoxynivalenol, Nivalenol and Zearalenone by Selected Non-Conventional Yeast Strains in Wheat Grains and Bread

by Izabela Podgórska-Kryszczuk, Ewa Solarska and Monika Kordowska-Wiater

Molecules 2022, 27(5), 1578; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27051578 - 27 Feb 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2072

Abstract

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, are important contaminants in food and agricultural industries around the world. These toxins have a multidirectional toxic effect on living organisms, causing damage to the kidneys and liver, and disrupting the functions of the digestive tract and the immune system. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the biological control of pathogens and the mycotoxins they produce. In this study, selected yeasts were used to reduce the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and zearalenone (ZEA) produced by Fusarium culmorum, F. graminearum, and F. poae on wheat grain and bread. In a laboratory experiment, an effective reduction in the content of DON, NIV, and ZEA was observed in bread prepared by baking with the addition of an inoculum of the test yeast, ranging from 16.4% to 33.4%, 18.5% to 36.2% and 14.3% to 35.4%, respectively. These results indicate that the selected yeast isolates can be used in practice as efficient mycotoxin decontamination agents in the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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17 pages, 2112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bacillus cereus Toxin Repertoire: Diversity of (Iso)cereulide(s)

by Veronika Walser, Markus Kranzler, Corinna Dawid, Monika Ehling-Schulz, Timo D. Stark and Thomas F. Hofmann

Molecules 2022, 27(3), 872; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27030872 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2883

Abstract

The emetic Bacillus cereus toxin cereulide (1) poses a significant safety risk in the food industry, causing emesis and nausea after consumption of contaminated foods. Analogously to cereulide, the structures of various isocereulides, namely, isocereulides A–G, have been recently reported and could also be identified in B. cereus-contaminated food samples. The HPLC fractionation of B. cereus extracts allows us to isolate additional isocereulides. By applying MSⁿ sequencing, post-hydrolytic dipeptide, amino acid and α-hydroxy acid analyses using UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS to purify the analytes, seven new isocereulides H–N (2–8) could be elucidated in their chemical structures. The structure elucidation was supported by one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectra of the isocereulides H (2), K (5), L and N (6 + 8) and M (7). The toxicity of 2–8 was investigated in a HEp-2 cell assay to determine their respective 50% effective concentration (EC₅₀). Thus, 2–8 exhibited EC₅₀ values ranging from a 0.4- to 1.4-fold value compared to cereulide (1). Missing structure-activity correlations indicate the necessity to determine the toxic potential of all naturally present isocereulides as single compounds to be able to perform a thorough toxicity evaluation of B. cereus-contaminated foods in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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12 pages, 2645 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preservation of Mimosa tenuiflora Antiaflatoxigenic Activity Using Microencapsulation by Spray-Drying

by Christopher Hernandez, Laura Cadenillas, Céline Mathieu, Jean-Denis Bailly and Vanessa Durrieu

Molecules 2022, 27(2), 496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27020496 - 13 Jan 2022

Viewed by 2210

Abstract

Mimosa tenuiflora aqueous extract (MAE) is rich in phenolic compounds. Among them, condensed tannins have been demonstrated to exhibit a strong antioxidant and antiaflatoxin B1 activities in Aspergillus flavus. Since antioxidant capacity can change with time due to environmental interactions, this study aimed to evaluate the ability of encapsulation by spray-drying of Mimosa tenuiflora aqueous extract to preserve their biological activities through storage. A dry formulation may also facilitate transportation and uses. For that, three different wall materials were used and compared for their efficiency. Total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, antifungal and antiaflatoxin activities were measured after the production of the microparticles and after one year of storage at room temperature. These results confirmed that encapsulation by spray-drying using polysaccharide wall materials is able to preserve antiaflatoxin activity of Mimosa tenuiflora extract better than freezing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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10 pages, 592 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Ochratoxin A and 2′R-Ochratoxin A in Selected Foodstuffs and Dietary Risk Assessment

by Agnieszka Zapaśnik, Marcin Bryła, Agnieszka Waśkiewicz, Edyta Ksieniewicz-Woźniak and Grażyna Podolska

Molecules 2022, 27(1), 188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27010188 - 29 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1832

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the contamination of grain coffee, roasted coffee, instant coffee, and cocoa purchased in local markets with ochratoxin A (OTA) and its isomerization product 2′R-ochratoxin A (2′R-OTA), and to assess risk of dietary exposure to the mycotoxins. OTA and 2′R-OTA content was determined using the HPLC chromatography with immunoaffinity columns dedicated to OTA. OTA levels found in all the tested samples were below the maximum limits specified in the European Commission Regulation EC 1881/2006. Average OTA concentrations calculated for positive samples of grain coffee/roasted coffee/instant coffee/cocoa were 0.94/0.79/3.00/0.95 µg/kg, with the concentration ranges: 0.57–1.97/0.44–2.29/0.40–5.15/0.48–1.97 µg/kg, respectively. Average 2′R-OTA concentrations calculated for positive samples of roasted coffee/instant coffee were 0.90/1.48 µg/kg, with concentration ranges: 0.40–1.26/1.00–2.12 µg/kg, respectively. In turn, diastereomer was not found in any of the tested cocoa samples. Daily intake of both mycotoxins with coffee/cocoa would be below the TDI value even if the consumed coffee/cocoa were contaminated with OTA/2′R-OTA at the highest levels found in this study. Up to now only a few papers on both OTA and 2′R-OTA in roasted food products are available in the literature, and this is the first study in Poland. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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Review

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11 pages, 612 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Aflatoxin B1: A Review

by João Victor Batista da Silva, Carlos Augusto Fernandes de Oliveira and Leandra Náira Zambelli Ramalho

Molecules 2021, 26(23), 7312; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26237312 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2909

Abstract

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced as secondary fungal metabolites. Among them, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) stands out due to its genotoxic and mutagenic potential, being a potent initiator of carcinogenesis. In this review, the outcomes from the published literature in the past 10 years on the effects of AFB1 pathophysiological mechanisms on embryological and fetal development are discussed. In several animal species, including humans, AFB1 has a teratogenic effect_, resulting in bone malformations, visceral anomalies, lesions in several organs, and behavioral and reproductive changes, in addition to low birth weight. The mutagenic capacity of AFB1 in prenatal life is greater than in adults, indicating that when exposure occurs in the womb, the risk of the development of neoplasms is higher. Studies conducted in humans indicate that the exposure to this mycotoxin during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight, decreased head circumference, and DNA hypermethylation. However, as the actual impacts on humans are still unclear, the importance of this issue cannot be overemphasized and studies on the matter are essential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Toxins from Plant and Food)

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