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Gil da Costa RM, Povey A, Medeiros-Fonseca B, Ramwell C, O'Driscoll C, Williams D, Hansen HCB, Rasmussen LH, Fletcher MT, O'Connor P, Bradshaw RHW, Robinson R, Mason J. Sixty years of research on bracken fern (Pteridium spp.) toxins: Environmental exposure, health risks and recommendations for bracken fern control. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 257:119274. [PMID: 38821456 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Bracken fern (Pteridium spp.) is a highly problematic plant worldwide due to its toxicity in combination with invasive properties on former farmland, in deforested areas and on disturbed natural habitats. The carcinogenic potential of bracken ferns has caused scientific and public concern for six decades. Its genotoxic effects are linked to illudane-type glycosides (ITGs), their aglycons and derivatives. Ptaquiloside is considered the dominating ITG, but with significant contributions from other ITGs. The present review aims to compile evidence regarding environmental pollution by bracken fern ITGs, in the context of their human and animal health implications. The ITG content in bracken fern exhibits substantial spatial, temporal, and chemotaxonomic variation. Consumption of bracken fern as food is linked to human gastric cancer but also causes urinary bladder cancers in bovines browsing on bracken. Genotoxic metabolites are found in milk and meat from bracken fed animals. ITG exposure may also take place via contaminated water with recent data pointing to concentrations at microgram/L-level following rain events. Airborne ITG-exposure from spores and dust has also been documented. ITGs may synergize with major biological and environmental carcinogens like papillomaviruses and Helicobacter pylori to induce cancer, revealing novel instances of chemical and biological co-carcinogenesis. Thus, the emerging landscape from six decades of bracken research points towards a global environmental problem with increasingly complex health implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui M Gil da Costa
- Department od Morphology, Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís, 65080-805, Brazil; Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP) / RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto) / Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), 4200-072, Porto, Portugal; Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal.
| | - Andrew Povey
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Beatriz Medeiros-Fonseca
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP) / RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto) / Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), 4200-072, Porto, Portugal; Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Carmel Ramwell
- Fera Science Ltd, York Biotech Campus, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK
| | - Connie O'Driscoll
- Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers Ltd., 1 Galway Business Park, Dangan, Galway, H91 A3EF, Ireland
| | - David Williams
- Centre for Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Sheffield Institute for Nucleic Acids, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7HF, UK
| | - Hans Chr B Hansen
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Lars Holm Rasmussen
- Novonesis, Microbe & Culture Research, Bøge Allé 10-12, DK- 2970, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Mary T Fletcher
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Health, and Food Science Precinct, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD, 4108, Australia
| | - Peter O'Connor
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Richard H W Bradshaw
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZT, UK
| | | | - James Mason
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
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Van Veen SJ, Levy EI, Huysentruyt K, Vandenplas Y. Clinical Dilemmas for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children: From Guideline to Practice. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr 2024; 27:267-273. [PMID: 39319281 PMCID: PMC11419790 DOI: 10.5223/pghn.2024.27.5.267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori infection is often acquired in early childhood. While most infected children remain asymptomatic, H. pylori can cause chronic gastritis, gastric ulceration, and, in the long term, gastric cancer. This article aimed to review different diagnostic and treatment options and discuss the challenges associated with applying the current guidelines in the real world. Relevant articles published from 2015 to August 2023 in the English language in PubMed and Medline electronic databases were extracted using subject headings and keywords of interest to the topic. References of interest in the selected articles were also considered. Invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tests have advantages but also disadvantages and limitations according to the clinical setting and age of the child. Guidelines recommend not performing diagnostic testing in children with long-lasting or recurrent abdominal complaints or cases of a family history of severe disease caused by H. pylori. However, parents regularly consult with the explicit demand to test for H. pylori because of them or a close family member experiencing severe gastric disease caused by H. pylori. In some situations, it may be challenging for the healthcare professional to stick to evidence-based guidelines and not consider "patient-centered care," with the risk of putting a trustful relationship in danger. Physicians may find it challenging not to perform diagnostic tests for H. pylori and prescribe eradication treatment in specific clinical settings when maintaining a trusting patient-physician relationship by applying this "patient-centered care" method when evidence-based guidelines recommend differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Jenneke Van Veen
- KidZ Health Castle, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elvira Ingrid Levy
- Department of Pediatrics, C.H.U. Saint-Pierre, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Koen Huysentruyt
- KidZ Health Castle, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yvan Vandenplas
- KidZ Health Castle, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Gil da Costa RM, Neto T, Estêvão D, Moutinho M, Félix A, Medeiros R, Lopes C, Bastos MMSM, Oliveira PA. Ptaquiloside from bracken (Pteridium spp.) promotes oral carcinogenesis initiated by HPV16 in transgenic mice. Food Funct 2021; 11:3298-3305. [PMID: 32222741 DOI: 10.1039/d0fo00207k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Bracken (Pteridium spp.) is a common weed that is consumed as food especially in Asia, and is suspected of promoting carcinogenesis induced by papillomaviruses in the digestive and urinary systems. This is particularly worrying because the incidence of head-and-neck cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is rapidly increasing, and HPV co-carcinogens urgently need to be identified. This study tested the hypothesis that two bracken compounds, ptaquiloside and rutin, are able to promote head-and-neck and bladder carcinogenesis in HPV16-transgenic mice. Expression of HPV16 E6 and E7 in oral and bladder tissues was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR. Mice were exposed orally to ptaquiloside (0.5 mg per animal per week for 10 weeks from 20 weeks-old) or rutin (413 mg kg-1 day-1 for 24 weeks from 6 weeks-old), sacrificed at 30 weeks-old and studied histologically. HPV16 E6 and E7 expression was higher in oral mucosa compared with the bladder (p 0.001). Importantly, ptaquiloside, but not rutin, increased the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinomas (p = 1.2 × 10-8) in HPV16-transgenic mice. Also, cancers of unexposed transgenic mice were restricted to the tongue base, while ptaquiloside-exposed mice showed multifocal lesions throughout the oral cavity. Wild-type controls showed no oral lesions. No bladder lesions were observed in any treated or untreated group. These results indicate that ptaquiloside from bracken is able to promote oral carcinogenesis initiated by HPV16. Rutin did not show any carcinogenic effects in this model. The absence of bladder lesions may reflect an insufficient incubation period or factors related to the specific viral oncogenes present in this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui M Gil da Costa
- LEPABE, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. and Grupo de Oncologia Molecular e Patologia Viral, CI-IPOP, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Porto, Portugal and Centro de Investigação e Tecnologia de Ciências Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Tiago Neto
- Grupo de Oncologia Molecular e Patologia Viral, CI-IPOP, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Porto, Portugal and ICBAS, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Diogo Estêvão
- Grupo de Oncologia Molecular e Patologia Viral, CI-IPOP, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Porto, Portugal and Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Magda Moutinho
- Centro de Investigação e Tecnologia de Ciências Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Ana Félix
- Nova Medical School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal and Serviço de Anatomia Patológica, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rui Medeiros
- Grupo de Oncologia Molecular e Patologia Viral, CI-IPOP, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Porto, Portugal and Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal and Serviço de Virologia, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Porto, Portugal and Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro-Núcleo Regional do Norte, Porto, Portugal and CEBIMED, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal
| | | | | | - Paula A Oliveira
- Centro de Investigação e Tecnologia de Ciências Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal and Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal
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Fast LC-MS quantification of ptesculentoside, caudatoside, ptaquiloside and corresponding pterosins in bracken ferns. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2020; 1138:121966. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.121966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Aranha PCDR, Rasmussen LH, Wolf-Jäckel GA, Jensen HME, Hansen HCB, Friis C. Fate of ptaquiloside-A bracken fern toxin-In cattle. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218628. [PMID: 31226154 PMCID: PMC6588243 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ptaquiloside is a natural toxin present in bracken ferns (Pteridium sp.). Cattle ingesting bracken may develop bladder tumours and excrete genotoxins in meat and milk. However, the fate of ptaquiloside in cattle and the link between ptaquiloside and cattle carcinogenesis is unresolved. Here, we present the toxicokinetic profile of ptaquiloside in plasma and urine after intravenous administration of ptaquiloside and after oral administration of bracken. Administered intravenously ptaquiloside, revealed a volume of distribution of 1.3 L kg-1 with a mean residence-time of 4 hours. A large fraction of ptaquiloside was converted to non-toxic pterosin B in the blood stream. Both ptaquiloside and pterosin B were excreted in urine (up to 41% of the dose). Oral administration of ptaquiloside via bracken extract or dried ferns did not result in observations of ptaquiloside in body fluids, indicating deglycosolidation in the rumen. Pterosin B was detected in both plasma and urine after oral administration. Hence, transport of carcinogenic ptaquiloside metabolites over the rumen membrane is indicated. Pterosin B recovered from urine counted for 7% of the dose given intravenously. Heifers exposed to bracken for 7 days (2 mg ptaquiloside kg-1) developed preneoplastic lesions in the urinary bladder most likely caused by genotoxic ptaquiloside metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lars Holm Rasmussen
- Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Christian Friis
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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O'Connor PJ, Alonso-Amelot ME, Roberts SA, Povey AC. The role of bracken fern illudanes in bracken fern-induced toxicities. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2019; 782:108276. [PMID: 31843140 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Bracken fern is carcinogenic when fed to domestic and laboratory animals inducing bladder and ileal tumours and is currently classified as a possible human carcinogen by IARC. The carcinogenic illudane, ptaquiloside (PTQ) was isolated from bracken fern and is widely assumed to be the major bracken carcinogen. However, several other structurally similar illudanes are found in bracken fern, in some cases at higher levels than PTQ and so may contribute to the overall toxicity and carcinogenicity of bracken fern. In this review, we critically evaluate the role of illudanes in bracken fern induced toxicity and carcinogenicity, the mechanistic basis of these effects including the role of DNA damage, and the potential for human exposure in order to highlight deficiencies in the current literature. Critical gaps remain in our understanding of bracken fern induced carcinogenesis, a better understanding of these processes is essential to establish whether bracken fern is also a human carcinogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J O'Connor
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - M E Alonso-Amelot
- Chemical Ecology Group, Faculty of Sciences, University of Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - S A Roberts
- Centre for Biostatistics, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - A C Povey
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
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