Aflatoxin B(1)-Induced Developmental and DNA Damage in Caenorhabditis elegans

Aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) is a ubiquitous mycotoxin produced by toxicogenic Aspergillus species. AFB(1) has been reported to cause serious adverse health effects, such as cancers and abnormal development and reproduction, in animals and humans. AFB(1) is also a potent genotoxic mutagen that causes DNA damage in vitro and in vivo. However, the link between DNA damage and abnormal development and reproduction is unclear. To address this issue, we examined the DNA damage, germline apoptosis, growth, and reproductive toxicity following exposure to AFB(1), using Caenorhabditis elegans as a study model. Results found that AFB(1) induced DNA damage and germline apoptosis, and significantly inhibited growth and reproduction of the nematodes in a concentration-dependent manner. Exposure to AFB(1) inhibited growth or reproduction more potently in the DNA repair-deficient xpa-1 nematodes than the wild-type N2 strain. According to the relative expression level of pathway-related genes measured by real-time PCR, the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway was found to be associated with AFB(1)-induced germline apoptosis, which further played an essential role in the dysfunction of growth and reproduction in C. elegans.