Gaoyun Chen1, Yun Yun Gong1,2, Martin E Kimanya3, Candida P Shirima4, Michael N Routledge5. 1. a Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast , Belfast , United Kingdom. 2. b School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds , Leeds , United Kingdom. 3. c The Nelson Mandela Institution of Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering , Arusha , Tanzania. 4. d Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania. 5. e LICAMM , School of Medicine, University of Leeds , Leeds, United Kingdom.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine levels of urinary aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in children and correlate the concentrations with previously reported aflatoxin albumin adduct (AF-alb) levels in these children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Matched urine and blood samples were collected from 84 Tanzanian children aged 6-14 months old. From 31 children in one village (Kigwa), samples were collected at three time points six months apart. Samples were collected from 31 and 22 children from two different regions at the second time point only. Urinary AFM1 was measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit with a modified protocol to improve sensitivity. AF-alb was measured using an established ELISA method. RESULTS: The relative ranking of the three villages for exposure to aflatoxin based on either AFM1 or AF-alb biomarker measurements was the same. In Kigwa village, both AFM1 and AF-alb levels were higher at six months post-harvest compared to baseline. However, at the next visit, the AFM1 levels dropped from a GM (interquartile range) of 71.0 (44.7, 112.6) at visit two to 49.3 (31.5, 77.3) pg/ml urine, whereas AF-alb levels increased from 47.3 (29.7, 75.2) to 52.7 (35.4, 78.3) pg/mg albumin between these two visits, reflecting the fact that AFM1 measures short-term exposure, whereas AF-alb measures longer term exposure. There was a correlation between AFB1 intake and AFM1 excretion (r= 0.442, p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary AFM1 is a good biomarker for AFB1 exposure in Tanzanian children, reflecting geographical and temporal variations in exposure to this foodborne toxin.
PURPOSE: To determine levels of urinary aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in children and correlate the concentrations with previously reported aflatoxin albumin adduct (AF-alb) levels in these children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Matched urine and blood samples were collected from 84 Tanzanian children aged 6-14 months old. From 31 children in one village (Kigwa), samples were collected at three time points six months apart. Samples were collected from 31 and 22 children from two different regions at the second time point only. Urinary AFM1 was measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit with a modified protocol to improve sensitivity. AF-alb was measured using an established ELISA method. RESULTS: The relative ranking of the three villages for exposure to aflatoxin based on either AFM1 or AF-alb biomarker measurements was the same. In Kigwa village, both AFM1 and AF-alb levels were higher at six months post-harvest compared to baseline. However, at the next visit, the AFM1 levels dropped from a GM (interquartile range) of 71.0 (44.7, 112.6) at visit two to 49.3 (31.5, 77.3) pg/ml urine, whereas AF-alb levels increased from 47.3 (29.7, 75.2) to 52.7 (35.4, 78.3) pg/mg albumin between these two visits, reflecting the fact that AFM1 measures short-term exposure, whereas AF-alb measures longer term exposure. There was a correlation between AFB1 intake and AFM1 excretion (r= 0.442, p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary AFM1 is a good biomarker for AFB1 exposure in Tanzanian children, reflecting geographical and temporal variations in exposure to this foodborne toxin.
Entities:
Keywords:
Aflatoxins; Tanzania; aflatoxin albumin adducts; children; urinary AFM1
Authors: Lei Xia; Michael N Routledge; Hifza Rasheed; Amir Ismail; Yao Dong; Tao Jiang; Yun Yun Gong Journal: Toxins (Basel) Date: 2020-09-12 Impact factor: 4.546