Interaction between cyclodextrins and aflatoxins Q1, M1 and P1. Fluorescence and chromatographic studies.

The fluorescence properties of the aflatoxins M1, Q1, P1 in solution and the effect of various cyclodextrins (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, hydroxypropyl-beta- and alpha-beta-heptakis-di-O-methyl-beta-) on their fluorescence emission were studied. Among the aflatoxins, a substantial enhancement of the fluorescence emission of aflatoxin Q1 in the presence of aqueous solutions of alpha-, beta-, hydroxypropyl-beta, and alpha-beta-heptakis-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, was observed. On the contrary, gamma-cyclodextrin proved to be inefficient to enhance the fluorescence properties of this compound. No important fluorescence enhancement was found for aflatoxins P1 or M1 for any of the cyclodextrin derivatives tested. The complex formation constant (Kf) of these compounds with beta-cyclodextrin was chromatographically determined, and from the results obtained, we can conclude that Kf cannot be used alone to explain the fluorescence increase. Thermodynamic studies showed that delta-H and delta-S parameters, associated with the partition of aflatoxins in RP-HPLC, increased when beta-cyclodextrin was added to the eluent.