Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent mycotoxin that is commonly produced by molds such as Aspergillus (A.) flavus and A. parasiticus. AFB1 is associated with several health adverse effects in humans including mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Aflatoxin is commonly secreted in the milk leading to deleterious effects on breast tissue and potential nursing infants. However, the effects of aflatoxins, particularly AFB1, on the breast cells are less investigated. In this study, AFB1-associated effects on human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) were investigated. AFB1 caused significant cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells. Such cytotoxicity had a positive correlation with the induction of oxidative stress. In addition, AFB1 caused significant transcriptomic alterations in xenobiotics and drug-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and antioxidant enzymes. Besides, AFB1 upregulated pro-inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor-α and cyclooxygenase-2 with a significant reduction of mRNA expressions of the immunity-related genes including interleukins 8 and 10.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University for the financial support under the research group support track (Grant No. 1811022).
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This study was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University for the financial support under the research group support track (Grant No. 1811022).
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Study design and experimental work were done by Waleed Rizk El-Ghareeb, Wageh Sobhy Darwish, Eman E. Hegazy, and Esraa A. Mohamed. Material preparation was performed by Waleed Rizk El-Ghareeb and Sherief M. Abdel-Raheem. Chemical analysis and data management were conducted by Ahmed Aljazzar and Abdelazim M. Ibrahim. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Wageh Sobhy Darwish, Ahmed Aljazzar, and Waleed Rizk El-Ghareeb. All authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript and approved the final version before submission.
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Aljazzar, A., El-Ghareeb, W.R., Darwish, W.S. et al. Effects of aflatoxin B1 on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells: cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, metabolic, and immune-modulatory transcriptomic changes. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 13132–13140 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23032-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23032-6