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Early-life exposure to MYCOtoxins and its impact on health – a case study

Publication . Alvito, P.; Assunção, R.; Bastos-Amador, P.; de Boevre, M.; Duarte, E.; Martins, C.; Serrenho, i.; Silva, I.; Visintin, L.; Ferreira, M.

Considering the potential impact on health and the scarce data available regarding early-life exposure to mycotoxins, earlyMYCO project (early-life exposure to MYCOtoxins and its impact on health) proposed to answer key questions: are pregnant women and infants until six months exposed to mycotoxins? Is this exposure a health threat? Does this early-life exposure influence the intestinal immune system development? Which is the burden derived from the exposure to mycotoxins? The earlyMYCO pilot study enrolled 19 pairs of mother and children, with a loss to follow-up ranging between 11% and 47% for different moments of observation. The mycotoxins’ biomarkers detected were AFB1, OTA, DON and bZEL in urine samples (mother and children), and AFB1, aZEL, FB1, FB2 and FB3 in breast milk samples. Food consumption data revealed that foods consumed more frequently during the week were bread, dairy products, non-alcoholic drinks (tea and coffee), animal products (meat and fish) and pasta. Regarding infants, 22% were fed with infant formula and 78% were exclusively breastfed. Considering the exposure levels, a low risk of mothers’ exposure to the main mycotoxins analyzed is expected, since urine samples did not reveal detectable levels of these compounds; however, infants’ urine samples presented a DON mean value of 14.8 ng/mL (corresponding to 148.0 μg/kg bw/day through reverse dosimetry), which could represent a risk for this population group. Notably, maternal exposure to AFB1 promoted an increase of overall T cell population, while it also resulted in a selective reduction of cytokine-producing innate lymphoid cells group 2 (ILC2) population in intestine of the progeny. These alterations were associated with decreased expression of Reg3b and Reg3g by the intestinal mucosa of progeny. Thus, these results indicate that maternal exposure to mycotoxins impacts the development of offspring intestinal immune system. An in vitro approach using intestinal cell lines Caco-2 and Caco-2/HT29-MTX models exposed to AFB1 during 24h, confirmed the deleterious effects of AFB1 on intestinal membrane integrity and its effect on mucus layer. To assess the impact of AFB1 on early-life microbiota, faeces from litters of AFB1 treated female mice and controls were assessed by metagenomics. Although the overall diversity (Shannon diversity index) of the microbiome wasn’t affected between groups, the microbiome composition varied between AFB1 and control faecal samples (Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index). In particular, some beneficial species were diminished in the litters from AFB1 treated females. Results emphasized the need for assessing the prenatal and lactation exposure to mycotoxins.

2022-05Conference object

Restricted access

Effect of Aflatoxin B1 in both Caco-2 and Caco-2/HT29-MTX models

Publication . Serrenho, I.; Vidal, N.; Rolo, D.; Louro, H.; Pereira, J.; Matos, P.; Jordan, P.; Alvito, P.

About effect of Aflatoxin B1 in both Caco-2 and Caco-2/HT29-MTX models within the scope of the intestinal absorption assessment and enabling formulations.

2022-03Conference object

Restricted access

Mycotoxin Exposure during the First 1000 Days of Life and Its Impact on Children’s Health: A Clinical Overview

Publication . Alvito, Paula; Pereira-da-Silva, Luís

The first 1000 days of life are very sensitive to any event that alters health programming, and they represent a window for intervention to improve population health. Pregnant women, fetuses, and infants are particularly vulnerable to exposure to food contaminated with mycotoxins. This review aimed to gather data from the literature on mycotoxins exposure during intrauterine life and early childhood, and associated health risks, as assessed through human biomonitoring and mycotoxins occurrence in foods, in different continents. Maternal internal exposure to aflatoxins is associated with fetal growth restriction, while exposure to fumonisins increases the risk of offspring’s neural tube defects. Mycotoxin contamination of breast milk is reported worldwide, but data on adverse effects of the lactational transfer of mycotoxins on infant health are lacking. Young children are exposed to mycotoxins through contaminated infant formulas and baby foods. Both external and internal exposure to aflatoxins and fumonisins in children are reported to be associated with growth impairment. In low-income settings, where other co-factors can affect growth, this association should be interpreted with caution. Further studies on human biomonitoring of mother–infant pairs and young children are needed to guide management strategies aiming to minimize mycotoxin exposure at critical developmental stages.

2022-03-04Journal article

Open access

earlyMYCO: A Pilot Mother-Child Cohort Study to Assess Early-Life Exposure to Mycotoxins - Challenges and Lessons Learned

Publication . Martins, Carla; Assunção, Ricardo; Costa, Ana; Serrano, Débora; Visintin, Lia; De Boevre, Marthe; Lachat, Carl; Vidal, Arnau; De Saeger, Sarah; Namorado, Sónia; Vidigal, Cristina; Almeida, Elisabete; Alvito, Paula; Nunes, Carla

Early-life exposure occurs during gestation through transfer to the fetus and later, during lactation. Recent monitoring data revealed that the Portuguese population is exposed to mycotoxins, including young children. This study aimed to develop a pilot study to assess the early-life exposure to mycotoxins through a mother-child cohort, and to identify the associated challenges. Participants were recruited during pregnancy (1st trimester) and followed-up in three moments of observation: 2nd trimester of pregnancy (mother), and 1st and 6th month of the child's life (mother and child), with the collection of biological samples and sociodemographic and food consumption data. The earlyMYCO pilot study enrolled 19 mother-child pairs. The analysis of biological samples from participants revealed the presence of 4 out of 15 and 5 out of 18 mycotoxins' biomarkers of exposure in urine and breast milk samples, respectively. The main aspects identified as contributors for the successful development of the cohort were the multidisciplinary and dedicated team members in healthcare units, reduced burden of participation, and the availability of healthcare units for the implementation of the fieldwork. Challenges faced, lessons learned, and suggestions were discussed as a contribution for the development of further studies in this area.

2022-06-23Journal article

Open access