Enzymatic and non-enzymatic formation of free radicals from aflatoxin B1.

Formation of free radicals from aflatoxin B1 was demonstrated in systems of a) NADPH/microsome, b) H2O2/peroxidase, c) UV irradiation, d) silver oxide oxidation and e) alkaline dimethyl sulfoxide. In a) to c), radical spots were detected in thin-layer chromatograms. Among several known metabolites of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1 was active in generation of free radical. These results suggest a possible role of free radical metabolites in the cytotoxicity of this hepatocarcinogen.