Tissue oxidative stress induced by patulin and protective effect of crocin

Nutritional Support of Crocin on Neurobehavioral Disabilities Induced by Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Rats

Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug containing platinum, is considered a neurotoxic agent. On the other hand, crocin, the primary component of saffron, possesses neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. In this study, 28 healthy adult male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were used (6-7 weeks old). Rats were divided into a control group (Ctr), a crocin group (Cro), a cisplatin group (Cis), and a crocin with cisplatin group (Cro + Cis). Rotarod, open field, and shuttle box tests were performed to assess balance, explorative behavior, and avoidance memory. After behavioral testing, the hippocampus was extracted to analyze oxidative stress parameters such as GPx (glutathione peroxidase), SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), and MDA (malondialdehyde) activity. Shuttle box, rotarod, and open field results showed that crocin can substantially mitigate the deleterious effects of cisplatin on avoidance memory, explorative behavior, motor coordination, and balance. Crocin was also able to effectively avoid the negative effects of cisplatin on MDA, GPx, and CAT during the assessment of oxidative indicators, while the beneficial effect of crocin on cisplatin was not statistically significant in terms of SOD level. In conclusion, since free radicals produced by cisplatin are a contributing factor to memory loss and movement disorders, crocin, owing to its antioxidant properties, improved passive avoidance learning as well as motor activity.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a patulin degradation candidate both in vitro and in vivo

Patulin is one of the mycotoxins that exists in abundance in fruits and derivative products and is easily exposed in daily life, leading to various toxicities such as genotoxicity, teratogenicity, immunotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in the human body, while the efficient removal or degradation measures are still in urgent demand. In this work, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a natural yeast with both patulin degradation and intestine damage protection abilities, was first applied to prevent and decrease the hazard after patulin intake. In vitro, Saccharomyces cerevisiae KD (S. cerevisiae KD) could efficiently degrade patulin at high concentrations. In a Canenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model fed on S. cerevisiae KD, locomotion, oxidative stress, patulin residual, intestine damage, and gene expression were investigated after exposure to 50 μg mL^-1 patulin. The results demonstrated that S. cerevisiae KD could efficiently degrade patulin, as well as weaken the oxidative stress and intestinal damage caused by patulin. Moreover, S. cerevisiae KD could regulate the gene expression levels of daf-2 and daf-16 through the IGF-1 signaling pathway to control the ROS level and glutathione (GSH) content, thus decreasing intestinal damage. In summary, this work uncovers the outstanding characteristic of an edible probiotic S. cerevisiae KD in patulin degradation and biotoxicity alleviation and provides enlightenment toward solving the hazards caused by the accumulation of patulin.

Comprehensive review on patulin and Alternaria toxins in fruit and derived products

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain fungi, which can contaminate various food commodities, including fruits and their derived products. Patulin and Alternaria toxins are among the most commonly encountered mycotoxins in fruit and their derived products. In this review, the sources, toxicity, and regulations related to these mycotoxins, as well as their detection and mitigation strategies are widely discussed. Patulin is a mycotoxin produced mainly by the fungal genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssochlamys. Alternaria toxins, produced by fungi in the Alternaria genus, are another common group of mycotoxins found in fruits and fruit products. The most prevalent Alternaria toxins are alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME). These mycotoxins are of concern due to their potential negative effects on human health. Ingesting fruits contaminated with these mycotoxins can cause acute and chronic health problems. Detection of patulin and Alternaria toxins in fruit and their derived products can be challenging due to their low concentrations and the complexity of the food matrices. Common analytical methods, good agricultural practices, and contamination monitoring of these mycotoxins are important for safe consumption of fruits and derived products. And Future research will continue to explore new methods for detecting and managing these mycotoxins, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the safety and quality of fruits and derived product supply.

Mitochondrial calcium uniporter involved in foodborne mycotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity

Foodborne mycotoxins are toxic metabolites that are produced by fungi. The widespread contamination of food and its by-products by mycotoxins is a global food safety problem that potentially threatens public health and other exposed animals. Most foodborne mycotoxins induce hepatotoxicity. However, only few studies have investigated the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium transport monomers in mycotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity. Therefore, according to relevant studies and reports, this review suggests that intracellular Ca(2 +) homeostasis and mitochondrial Ca(2 +) uniporter are involved in the regulation of mycotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity. This review provides some ideas for future research involving mitochondrial Ca(2 +) uniporter in the molecular targets of mycotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity, as well as a reference for the research and development of related drugs and the treatment of related diseases.

Contamination, Detection and Control of Mycotoxins in Fruits and Vegetables

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by pathogenic fungi that colonize fruits and vegetables either during harvesting or during storage. Mycotoxin contamination in fruits and vegetables has been a major problem worldwide, which poses a serious threat to human and animal health through the food chain. This review systematically describes the major mycotoxigenic fungi and the produced mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables, analyzes recent mycotoxin detection technologies including chromatography coupled with detector (i.e., mass, ultraviolet, fluorescence, etc.) technology, electrochemical biosensors technology and immunological techniques, as well as summarizes the degradation and detoxification technologies of mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables, including physical, chemical and biological methods. The future prospect is also proposed to provide an overview and suggestions for future mycotoxin research directions.

Effects of Selenium Nanoparticles on Preventing Patulin-Induced Liver, Kidney and Gastrointestinal Damage

Patulin (PAT) is a toxic fungal metabolite, and oxidative damage was proved to be its important toxicity mechanism. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were prepared by reducing sodium selenite with chitosan as a stabilizer and used for preventing PAT-induced liver, kidney and gastrointestinal damage. SeNPs have good dispersibility, in vitro antioxidant activity, and are much less cytotoxic than sodium selenite. Cell culture studies indicated that SeNPs can effectively alleviate PAT-induced excessive production of intracellular ROS, the decline of glutathione peroxidase activity, and the suppression of cell viability. Evaluation of serum biochemical parameters, histopathology, oxidative stress biomarkers and activities of antioxidant enzymes in a mouse model showed that pre-treatment with SeNPs (2 mg Se/kg body weight) could ameliorate PAT-induced oxidative damage to the liver and kidneys of mice, but PAT-induced gastrointestinal oxidative damage and barrier dysfunction were not recovered by SeNPs, possibly because the toxin doses suffered by the gastrointestinal as the first exposed tissues exceeded the regulatory capacity of SeNPs. These results suggested that a combination of other strategies may be required to completely block PAT toxicity.

Cardiotoxicity of patulin was found in H9c2 cells

Patulin (PAT) is a kind of mycotoxins that is universally found at rotten fruits, especially apples and apple products. Previous studies have shown that PAT has hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. However, cardiotoxicity of PAT is rarely reported. Present study aimed at investigate the cardiotoxicity and relevant mechanisms of PAT on H9c2 cells. Cytotoxicity of PAT were evaluated by MTT assay and LDH. Hoechst 33258 staining was used to examine the nuclear morphology and AV/PI double staining was employed for apoptosis on H9c2 cells. Expression level of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax, Bcl-2 were quantified to verify the potential mechanism of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were quantified to determine the inflammatory response by using ELISA assay. ROS, SOD, MDA, GSH levels were measured to determine the oxidative stress status. Results demonstrated that PAT significantly induced cell injury, as evidenced by the down-regulated of cell viability, and the increase of LDH release. Hoesst33258 staining and flow cytometry showed that apoptosis rate was elevated by PAT. PAT treatment up-regulated the expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax level and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 level. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 levels showed that PAT increased the pro-inflammatory response. As PAT concentration increased, intracellular MDA, ROS content were elevated, while GSH content and the activity of SOD were significantly decreased. Thus, it is concluded that PAT may induce apoptosis of H9c2 cells through oxidative stress.

Hepatotoxicity of food-borne mycotoxins: molecular mechanism, anti-hepatotoxic medicines and target prediction

Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by fungi. The widespread contamination of food and feed by mycotoxins is a global food safety problem and a serious threat to people's health. Most food-borne mycotoxins have strong hepatotoxicity. However, no effective methods have been found to prevent or treat Mycotoxin- Induced Liver Injury (MILI) in clinical and animal husbandry. In this paper, the molecular mechanisms and potential anti-MILI medicines of six food-borne MILI are reviewed, and their targets are predicted by network toxicology, which provides a theoretical basis for further study of the toxicity mechanism of MILI and the development of effective strategies to manage MILI-related health problems in the future and accelerate the development of food safety.

Effect of crocin on antioxidant gene expression, fibrinolytic parameters, redox status and blood biochemistry in nicotinamide-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background

Diabetes is regarded as an epidemiological threat for the twenty-first century. Phytochemicals with known pharmaceutical properties have gained interest in the field of alleviating secondary complications of diseases. Such a substance is crocin, a basic constituent of saffron (Crocus sativus). The present study aimed at examining the beneficial effects of per os crocin administration on the antioxidant status, blood biochemical profile, hepatic gene expression and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity (PAI-1) in the liver, kidney and plasma (an important marker of pre-diabetic status and major factor of thrombosis in diabetes) of healthy rats, as well as of rats with nicotinamide-streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

Results

Diabetes disrupted the oxidation-antioxidation balance, while crocin improved the antioxidant state in the liver by significantly affecting SOD1 gene expression and/or by restoring SOD and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. In the kidney, crocin improved hydrogen peroxide decomposing activity and TAC. In blood, hepatic transaminases ALT and AST decreased significantly, while there was a trend of decrease regarding blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. The expression of PAI-1 gene was affected in the liver by the dose of 50 mg kg⁻¹.

Conclusions

Crocin treatment contributed in restoring some parameters after diabetes induction, primarily by affecting significantly hepatic transaminases ALT and AST, SOD1 and PAI-1 gene expression and nephric H₂O₂ decomposing activity. In conclusion, crocin did contribute to the alleviation of some complications of diabetes.

Crocin (active constituent of saffron) improves CCl4-induced liver damage by modulating oxidative stress in rats

Background

CCl4 is a widely used xenobiotic for the purpose of causing liver damage in experimental studies. In this study, we aimed to reveal the effects of crocin on liver injury caused by CCl4 via free radical scavenging properties.

Materials and methods

Animals were divided into five groups of 10: control; corn oil; crocin; CCl4; CCl4 + crocin. Tissue samples were carefully removed and separated for biochemical and histological investigations.

Results

CCl4 administration led to significant increases in MDA, SOD, CAT and TOS in liver tissue, and AST, ALT and ALP levels in plasma (p < 0.05). In addition, CCl4 caused significant decreases in GSH and TAS (p < 0.05). When animals were treated with crocin, high MDA, SOD, CAT, TOS levels, and AST and ALP activities decreased and GSH and TAS levels increased. Control group exhibited normal histological appearance; however extensive necrosis areas were detected in the CCl4 group. In the CCl4 + crocin group, pathological changes were markedly decreased and the appearance of liver tissue was almost similar to the control groups.

Conclusion

Our results showed that crocin suppresses oxidative stress with antioxidant properties and has a protective effect on tissue damage caused by CCl4.

Apigenin attenuates patulin-induced apoptosis in HEK293 cells by modulating ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase signal pathway

Mycotoxins like patulin (PAT) are among the most significant food contaminant with regard to public health. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of apigenin (API), one of the most bioactive flavonoids in plant-derived food, on PAT-induced apoptosis in HEK293 cells. Cells were treated under basic conditions, 8 μM PAT without or with API (2.5, 5 and 10 μM) concomitantly for 10 h. API exerted renoprotective effect by inhibiting intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, modulating oxidative phosphorylation especially elevating the expression of ATP synthase, re-establishing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and maintaining higher intracellular ATP level, accompanied by p53, Bax downregulation and Bcl-2 upregulation. Thereby, cytochrome c release from mitochondria to cytoplasm was reduced, causing inhibition of initiator caspases-9 and executioner caspases (3, 6 and 7) expression and enzyme activities. Results revealed dietary apigenin attenuates patulin-induced apoptosis in HEK293 cells by modulating ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase signal pathway.

Crocin protects the liver and kidney from patulin-induced apoptosis in vivo

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Bissochlamys. Given the high risk associated with this mycotoxin, its potential effects have been investigated by many studies. It is known to be teratogenic, mutagenic, and genotoxic, and it has been shown to induce damages in several organs in experimental animals. Our aim was to investigate the preventive effect against PAT-induced apoptosis in vivo using natural carotenoid, Crocin (CRO). Mice were divided into six groups: a control group, a "PAT alone" group, a "CRO alone" group, and a "PAT plus CRO" groups (pre-treatment conditions). Our results showed that CRO restored the normal levels of biochemical parameters in the liver and kidney. The analysis of the protein expression in these organs revealed that PAT-induced toxicity promotes the induction of apoptosis via the increase in P53, Bax, and cytochrome C and the decrease in Bcl2 expressions. We also found that PAT triggered caspase 3 activation and DNA fragmentation. However, pre-treatment with CRO demonstrated a reduction in the induction of apoptosis via the regulation of all tested biomarkers demonstrating that CRO is effective in the protection against PAT hazards. This could be relevant, particularly with the emergent demand for natural products which may counteract the detrimental toxic effects and therefore prevents multiple human diseases.