pH-dependent interaction of fumonisin B1 with cholesterol: physicochemical and molecular modeling studies at the air-water interface.

Langmuir film balance technology was used to study the interaction between the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) and cholesterol. FB1 was added in the aqueous subphase underneath a monomolecular film of cholesterol, and the interaction was measured as an increase in the surface pressure of the film. Above pH 9, a strong inhibition of the reaction was observed. Similar results were obtained with the bile salt sodium taurocholate. The FB1-cholesterol complex was reinforced by NaCl but was destabilized by NaF, a salt known to break hydrogen bonds. These data suggest that the molecular association between FB1 and cholesterol involves both hydrophobic interactions and a hydrogen bond between the NH3(+) group of FB1 and the OH group of cholesterol. Molecular mechanics simulations of the FB1-cholesterol complex were consistent with this hypothesis. These data may shed some light on the mechanisms involved in the intestinal absorption of FB1 and its biliary excretion.