Evaluation of the DNA damaging effect of the heat-induced food toxicant 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in various cell lines with different activities of sulfotransferases

Hydroxymethylfurfural: a possible emergent cause of honey bee mortality?

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a common product of hexose degradation occurring during the Maillard reaction and caramelization, has been found toxic for rats and mice. It could cause a potential health risk for humans due to its presence in many foods, sometimes exceeding 1 g/kg (in certain dried fruits and caramel products), although the latter still is controversial. HMF can also be consumed by honey bees through bad production batches of sugar syrups that are offered as winter feeding. In Belgium, abnormal losses of honey bee colonies were observed in colonies that were fed with syrup of inverted beet sugar containing high concentrations of HMF (up to 475 mg/kg). These losses suggest that HMF could be implicated in bee mortality, a topic that so far has received only little attention. This paper reviews the current knowledge of the presence of HMF in honey bee environment and possible consequences on bee mortality. Some lines of inquiry for further toxicological analysis are likewise proposed.

In vitro antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

5-HMF is widely presented in foods and produced through the degradation of hexoses and Maillard reaction during heat treatment of foods containing reducing sugars and amino acids in an acid environment. However, controversial conclusions on the biological effects of 5-HMF have been drawn in previous studies. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of 5-HMF. The 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assay, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and the hemolysis assay induced by 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) were performed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of 5-HMF. The results showed that 5-HMF exhibited novel antioxidant activity by scavenging the ABTS and DPPH free radicals and inhibited the AAPH-induced hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner. In the hemolysis assay, the reduction of ROS and MDA contents and the increase in enzyme activities of SOD, CAT, and GPx were found in erythrocytes pretreated with 5-HMF, which demonstrated that 5-HMF could prevent the peroxidation from the source to protect the erythrocytes. The morphological changes of erythrocytes was also verified by observation using atomic force microscopy. The inhibitory effect of 5-HMF on human cancer cell proliferation was investigated by MTT assay, flow cytometric analysis, and the TUNEL and DAPI costaining assay. The results showed that 5-HMF displayed higher antiproliferative activity on human melanoma A375 cells than other cell lines. Further investigation on the action mechanisms revealed that 5-HMF could induce A375 cell apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. The A375 cell apoptosis that 5-HMF induced was characterized by a TUNEL and DAPI costaining assay. These findings suggest that 5-HMF could be developed as a novel natural antioxidant with potential applications in cancer chemoprevention.

Genotoxic and phytotoxic risk assessment of fresh and treated hydrochar from hydrothermal carbonization compared to biochar from pyrolysis

Biochar is discussed as an option for climate change mitigation via C sequestration and may promote sustainable resource efficiency. Large-scale field trials and commercial business with char materials have already started. Therefore char materials have to be assessed for toxic compounds. We tested genotoxic effects of different hydrochars and biochars with the Tradescantia micronucleus test. For this purpose chromosomal aberrations in pollen cells of Tradescantia in the form of micronuclei were evaluated microscopically after defined exposition to extracts from char materials. Hydrochars from hydrothermal carbonization mostly exhibited significantly negative results. Additional germination experiments with hydrochar showed total germination inhibition at additions above five percent v/v in comparison to biochar. However, biological post-treatment of previously toxic hydrochar was successful and toxic effects were eliminated completely. Some post-treated hydrochars even showed growth stimulating effects. Our results clearly demonstrate the necessity of risk assessment with bioindicators. The chosen tests procedures can contribute to biochar and hydrochar characterization for safe application.

Determination of very low levels of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) in natural honey: comparison between the HPLC technique and the spectrophotometric white method

In this work we compared 2 official methods for the determination of HMF in honey, the spectrophotometric White method and the HPLC method (International Honey Commission) for the determination of HMF in unifloral honey and honeydew samples with a very low HMF content (<4 mg/kg), which is the most critical determination in terms of accuracy and precision of methods. In honey solutions, the limits of quantification for HPLC and White methods are 0.83 mg/L and 0.67 mg/L, respectively, and the linearity range is confirmed up to 20 mg/L for the HPLC method and up to 5 mg/L for the White method. In honeys with HMF >5 mg/kg, the molar extinction coefficient is 15369, lower than the literature value of 16830, and should be used for HMF determination. For samples with HMF content in the range 1-4 mg/kg the accuracy of the 2 methods is comparable both for unifloral and honeydew samples, whereas as regards precision, the HPLC method gives better results (3.5% compared with 6.4% for the White method). So, in general, the HPLC method seems to be more appropriate for the determination of HMF in honey in the range 1-4 mg/kg thanks to its greater precision, but for samples with a HMF content of less than 1 mg/kg the analyses are inaccurate for both methods.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This work can help governmental and private laboratories that perform food analyses to choose the best method for the determination of HMF at very low levels in unifloral honey and honeydew samples.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of furanic compounds in honey and vegetable oils

A simple micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method for the simultaneous determination of 2-furfural (2-F), 3-furfural (3-F), 5-methylfurfural (5-MF), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), 2-furoic acid (2-FA) and 3-furoic acid (3-FA) in honey and vegetable oils is described. Parameters affecting the separation such as pH, buffer and surfactant concentrations, applied voltage, capillary temperature, injection time and capillary length were studied and optimized. The separation was carried out in normal polarity mode at 20 °C, 22 kV and using hydrodynamic injection (17 s). The separation was achieved in a bare fused-silica capillary (46 cm × 50 μm i.d.) with a background electrolyte of 75 mM phosphoric acid (pH 7.3), containing 200 mM of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The detection wavelengths were at 200 nm (2-FA and 3-FA) and 280 nm (2-F, 3-F, 5-MF, 5-HMF). The furfurals were well separated in less than 20 min. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection and quantitation, precision and recoveries. Calibration curves of the six furfurals were well correlated (r(2)>0.991) within the range 1-25 μg mL(-1). Relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day migration times and corrected peak areas ≤9.96% were achieved. The limit of detection (signal:noise, 3) was 0.33-0.70 μg mL(-1) whereas the limit of quantitation (signal:noise, 10) was 1.00-2.12 μg mL(-1). The method was applied to the determination of furanic compounds in honeys and vegetable oils (palm, walnut, grape seed and rapeseed). The effects of thermal treatment and gamma irradiation on the formation of the furanic compounds in honey were also investigated.

Toxicity studies with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and its metabolite 5-sulphooxymethylfurfural in wild-type mice and transgenic mice expressing human sulphotransferases 1A1 and 1A2

5-Sulphooxymethylfurfural (SMF), an electrophilic metabolite of the abundant Maillard product 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), was intraperitoneally administered to FVB/N mice. At a dosage of 250 mg/kg, most animals died after 5-11 days due to massive damage to proximal tubules. At lower dosages, administered repeatedly, tubules also were the major target of toxicity, with regeneration and atypical hyperplasia occurring at later periods. Additionally, hepatotoxic effects and serositis of peritoneal tissues were observed. SMF is a minor metabolite of HMF in conventional mice, but HMF is an excellent substrate for a major sulphotransferase (hSULT1A1) in humans. Parental FVB/N mice and FVB/N-hSULT1A1/2 mice, carrying multiple copies of the hSULT1A1/2 gene cluster, were exposed to HMF in drinking water (0, 134 and 536 mg/kg body mass/day) for 12 weeks. Nephrotoxic effects and enhanced proliferation of hepatocytes were only detected at the high dosage. They were mild and, surprisingly, unaffected by hSULT1A1/2 expression. Thus, SMF was a potent nephrotoxicant when administered as a bolus, but did not reach levels sufficient to produce serious toxicity when generated from HMF administered continuously via drinking water. This was even the case in transgenic mice expressing clearly higher HMF sulphation activity in liver and kidney than humans.

Degradation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural during yeast fermentation

5-Hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) may occur in malt in high quantities depending on roasting conditions. However, the HMF content of different types of beers is relatively low, indicating its potential for degradation during fermentation. This study investigates the degradation kinetics of HMF in wort during fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results indicated that HMF decreased exponentially as fermentation progressed. The first-order degradation rate of HMF was 0.693 × 10(-2) and 1.397 × 10(-2)min(-1) for wort and sweet wort, respectively, indicating that sugar enhances the activity of yeasts. In wort, HMF was converted into hydroxymethyl furfuryl alcohol by yeasts with a high yield (79-84% conversion). Glucose and fructose were utilised more rapidly by the yeasts in dark roasted malt than in pale malt (p<0.05). The conversion of HMF into hydroxymethyl furfuryl alcohol seems to be a primary activity of yeast cells, and presence of sugars in the fermentation medium increases this activity.

Intestinal carcinogenesis of two food processing contaminants, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, in transgenic FVB min mice expressing human sulfotransferases

Humans express sulfotransferases (SULTs) of the SULT1A subfamily in many tissues, whilst the single SULT1A gene present in rodents is mainly expressed in liver. The food processing contaminants, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), are bioactivated by human SULT1A1 and SULT1A2. FVB multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice, which spontaneously develop tumors and flat aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in intestine, were crossed with transgenic FVB mice expressing human SULT1A1 and 1A2 (hSULT) in several tissues, giving rise to wild-type and Min mice with and without hSULT. One-week-old Min mice with or without hSULT were given HMF (375 or 750 mg/kg bw) or saline by gavage three times a week for 11 wk. In another experiment, the F1 generation received subcutaneous injections of 50 mg/kg bw PhIP or saline 1 wk before birth, and 1, 2, and 3 wk after birth. HMF did not affect the formation of tumors, but may have induced some flat ACF (incidence 15-20%) in Min mice with and without hSULT. No control mouse developed any flat ACF. With the limitation that these putative effects were weak, they were unaffected by hSULT expression. The carcinogenic effect of PhIP increased in the presence of hSULT, with a significant increase in both incidence (31-80%) and number of colonic tumors (0.4-1.3 per animal). Thus, intestinal expression of human SULT1A1 and 1A2 might increase the susceptibility to compounds bioactivated via this pathway implying that humans might be more susceptible than conventional rodent models.

Toxicology and risk assessment of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in food

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) as a product of the Maillard reaction is found in many foods. Estimated intakes range between 4 and 30  mg per person and day, while an intake of up to 350  mg can result from, e.g., beverages made from dried plums. In vitro genotoxicity was positive when the metabolic preconditions for the formation of the reactive metabolite 5-sulphoxymethylfurfural were met. However, so far in vivo genotoxicity was negative. Results obtained in short-term model studies for 5-HMF on the induction of neoplastic changes in the intestinal tract were negative or cannot be reliably interpreted as "carcinogenic". In the only long-term carcinogenicity study in rats and mice no tumours or their precursory stages were induced by 5-HMF aside from liver adenomas in female mice, the relevance of which must be viewed as doubtful. Hence, no relevance for humans concerning carcinogenic and genotoxic effects can be derived. The remaining toxic potential is rather low. Various animal experiments reveal that no adverse effect levels are in the range of 80-100  mg/kg body weight and day. Safety margins are generally sufficient. However, 5-HMF exposure resulting from caramel colours used as food additives should be further evaluated.

5-(Hy-droxy-meth-yl)furan-2-carbaldehyde

The title compound (HMF), C₆H₆O₃, is one of the products of acid-catalyzed dehydration of high-fructose corn syrup, and has been shown to be toxic to honey bees. The compound was crystallized at 276 K, and it was found that the two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit form an infinite O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding chain that is linked into a three-dimensional network structure by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O contacts.

Kinetics of the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural formation reaction in Chinese rice wine

The kinetics of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation in Chinese rice wine was investigated under different treatment conditions. Samples I and II were the rough rice wine and outflow fraction of the rice wine from the macroporous resin, respectively. Sample III was the fraction derived from sample II loaded through ion-exchange resin. The HMF content of the different samples under a range of temperature values from 323.15 to 363.15 K was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results demonstrated that the kinetics of HMF formation in sample I was determined as first-order [C(t) = C(0) exp(kt)], but those for samples II and III were found to be the zero-order reaction [C(t) = C(0) + kt]. For all three samples, the relationships of reaction rates (k) and temperature (T) were computed as follows: k(1) = 2.81 x 10(5) exp(-43.01/RT), k(2) = 2.33 x 10(18) exp(-123.90/RT), and k(3) = 1.79 x 10(13) exp(-89.16/RT). By applying the Arrhenius equation k = k(f) exp(-E(a)/RT), the activation energy was 43.01, 123.90, and 89.16 kJ mol(-1), respectively. On the basis of these kinetics equations, weak polar components such as phenolic groups may be involved in HMF formation.

Cyr E. Formation of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Domestic High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Its Toxicity to the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

In the United States, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become a sucrose replacement for honey bees and has widespread use as a sweetener in many processed foods and beverages for human consumption. It is utilized by commercial beekeepers as a food for honey bees for several reasons: to promote brood production, after bees have been moved for commercial pollination, and when field-gathered nectar sources are scarce. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a heat-formed contaminant and is the most noted toxin to honey bees. Currently, there are no rapid field tests that would alert beekeepers of dangerous levels of HMF in HFCS or honey. In this study, the initial levels and the rates of formation of HMF at four temperatures were evaluated in U.S.-available HFCS samples. Different HFCS brands were analyzed and compared for acidity and metal ions by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Levels of HMF in eight HFCS products were evaluated over 35 days, and the data were fit to polynomial and exponential equations, with excellent correlations. The data can be used by beekeepers to predict HMF formation on storage. Caged bee studies were conducted to evaluate the HMF dose-response effect on bee mortality. Finally, commercial bases such as lime, potash, and caustic soda were added to neutralize hydronium ion in HMF samples, and the rates of HMF formation were compared at 45 degrees C.