Magnetic aptamer copper nanoclusters fluorescent biosensor for the visual detection of zearalenone based on docking-aided rational tailoring.

To address the food safety issues caused by toxins, we established a fluorescent copper nanocluster biosensor based on magnetic aptamer for the visual and quantitative detection of ZEN. Specifically, we utilized the docking-aided rational tailoring (DART) strategy to analyze intermolecular force and interaction sites between zearalenone (ZEN) and the aptamer, and optimize the long-chain aptamer step by step to enhance the binding affinity by 3.4 times. The magnetic bead-modified aptamer underwent conformational changes when competing with complementary sequences to bind with ZEN. Then, the released complementary sequences will be amplified in template-free mode with the presence of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), and generating T-rich sequences as the core sequences for the luminescence of copper nanoclusters. The luminescence could be visualized and quantitatively detected through ultraviolet irradiation. The proposed label-free aptasensor exhibited high sensitivity and specificity, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng/mL.

Multidimensional Applications and Challenges of Riboswitches in Biosensing and Biotherapy.

Riboswitches have received significant attention over the last two decades for their multiple functionalities and great potential for applications in various fields. This article highlights and reviews the recent advances in biosensing and biotherapy. These fields involve a wide range of applications, such as food safety detection, environmental monitoring, metabolic engineering, live cell imaging, wearable biosensors, antibacterial drug targets, and gene therapy. The discovery, origin, and optimization of riboswitches are summarized to help readers better understand their multidimensional applications. Finally, this review discusses the multidimensional challenges and development of riboswitches in order to further expand their potential for novel applications.

Diallyl trisulfide ameliorates bone loss and alters specific gut microbiota and serum metabolites in natural aging mice.

Aging is a major cause of bone loss and osteoporosis. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), one of the main organic sulfides in garlic oil, has been shown to alleviate arthritis in mice. However, further research is still needed to determine how DATS affects bone formation and bone loss in aging mice. Here, we established a mouse model of natural aging for dietary DATS intervention. DATS treatment improved the bone microstructure, including the disorganized arrangement of bone trabeculae and promoted collagen synthesis, as confirmed by micro-CT and histological analyses. The abundance of beneficial bacteria for bone formation, such as Clostridiaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, and the microbial diversity and community richness were all altered by DATS, according to 16S rRNA sequencing data. 14 potential biomarkers and 9 important metabolic pathways were examined using serum metabolomics analysis. Additionally, there has been a significant reduction in sphingosine, which is directly associated with bone metabolism. The level of sphingosine and relative abundance of Clostridium were found to be negatively correlated by correlation analysis, indicating that bacteria may regulate bone reconstruction via influencing metabolites. Furthermore, Runx2 and ß-catenin gene expression levels increased in bones, which may be related to the ameliorative mechanism of DATS. Our results suggested that DATS may prevent age-related bone loss by upregulating osteogenic gene expression through altering gut microbes and serum metabolism.

Safety evaluation of Balanced Health Care Dan-A medicinal formulation containing traditional edible ingredients in lung tumor-loaded mice.

Chinese formulation-based medicinal food has been widely used in clinical trials, but its safety is not well studied. In this research, the edible safety assessment of Balanced Health Care Dan-a formulation containing traditional edible ingredients that were initially formulated to reduce side effects for lung cancer patients-was studied in mice based on biochemical and gut microbial analyses. The experimental mice were subcutaneously loaded with lung tumor A549 cells and then administrated with Balanced Health Care Dan (200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg b.w. in gavage feeding) for 4 weeks. The body weight, blood parameters, and pathogenic phenotype in tissues were examined. No toxicological symptom was found in experimental mice compared with the normal control. Comprehensive analyses were also conducted to evaluate intestinal microbiota that are associated with many diseases. Balanced Health Care Dan modified the gut microbiota structure in a positive way. In conclusion, the Chinese formulation-based medicinal food has shown no toxicological effect in mice within 4 weeks of feeding experiment and has the potential to be used in clinical trials.

Acupuncture for chronic sciatica: protocol for a multicenter randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Sciatica is a disabling condition causing considerable medical, social and financial implications. Currently, there is no recognised long-term effective treatment to alleviate sciatica. Acupuncture has been widely used for treating chronic pains with persistent analgesic effects. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic sciatica with follow-up in 52 weeks. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicenter randomised sham-controlled trial. A total of 216 patients with chronic sciatica will be enrolled and randomly assigned to the acupuncture or sham acupuncture group. There will be 10 treatment sessions applied in 4 weeks with frequency decreased over time. Patients will complete follow-ups during 52 weeks. The primary outcomes are changes in leg pain intensity and disability from baseline to week 4. Secondary outcomes include back pain intensity, frequency and bothersomeness, quality of life, and global perceived effect. Adverse events will be recorded in detail. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of this trial was granted from the ethics committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and all study centres (No. 2020BZYLL0803). Written informed consent will be obtained from enrolled patients. Trial results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2100044585 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn, registered on 24 March 2021); preresults.

[Research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion on axon guidance cues].

Axon guidance cues includes Slit, Semaphorin, Ephrin and Netrin. They have the function of regulating the regeneration of axons and guiding the regenerated axons to the correct target. They can affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and participate in the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. The current research on the influence of acupuncture and moxibustion(mainly focusing on electroacupuncture) on axon guidance cues is limited to animal experiments. Electroacupuncture can treat diseases dominated by the nervous system by regulating the expression of axon guidance cues. This review summarizes the research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion on regulating axonal guidance cues, is hoped to provide references for the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating nervous system disease and ideas for acupuncture treatment of diseases related to axon guidance cues.

Proteomics reveals the alleviation of zinc towards aflatoxin B1-induced cytotoxicity in human hepatocyes (HepG2 cells).

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a known carcinogen found in contaminated food and designated by the World Health Organization as a class I carcinogenic substance. AFB1 presents with carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and mutagenicity, and the liver is the human organ most susceptible to AFB1. Zinc (Zn), which is one of the essential nutrient elements that could protect the cells from biological toxins, heavy metals, hydrogen peroxide, metal chelators and radiation, is assessed in this study for its potential to alleviate AFB1-induced cytotoxicity. Samples were divided into three groups, namely CK, AFB1, and AFB1+Zn. Protein expressions were analyzed by two-way electrophoresis combined with flight mass spectrometry, with 41 differentially expressed proteins identified in the results, mainly related to oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, DNA damage, and energy metabolism. Zn was found to regulate the expression of peroxidases (peroxiredoxin-1, peroxiredoxin-5, peroxiredoxin-6) to relieve AFB1-induced oxidative stress. Moreover, Zn could decrease the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (cleaved-caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax) and increase the expression of anti-apoptotic genes (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl) to alleviate the cell apoptosis induced by AFB1. In addition, AFB1 reduced intracellular ATP levels, whereas Zn supplementation boosted ATP levels and maintained homeostasis and a steady state of cellular energy metabolism by modulating AMPK-ACC phosphorylation levels, while many zinc finger proteins changed after AFB1 treatment. These results, therefore, indicate that Zn could alleviate AFB1-induced cytotoxicity by changing the expressions of zinc finger proteins in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2 cells).

Mechanisms of Electroacupuncture on Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Animal Studies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main type of dementia affecting elderly people. The medicines used for treating AD have limits in their ability to alleviate cognitive and functional decline. Electroacupuncture (EA), an economical alternative and complementary therapeutic measure used in Chinese medicine, has strong clinical applicability, and its treatment effects are more reliable as its stimulation factors can be standardized. EA has been effectively used for ameliorating spatial learning and memory impairment in AD patients and rodent AD models. Here, we summarized the mechanisms of EA on rodent AD models, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for identifying new targets and research directions, and exploring appropriate EA stimulation parameters, then provide a detailed methodology to optimize the effects of EA, ultimately reducing the heavy burden of treating AD patients on families and countries. Our review showed that 8 acupoints were used when treating AD animals; Baihui (GV 20) was the most frequently used. Four mechanisms of EA were studied: (1) protection of cerebral neurons from oxidative stress, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity and hormone levels; (2) regulation of metabolism, including glucose metabolism and plasma metabolism; (3) regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor; and (4) regulation of ß-amyloid peptide protein deposition.

Correlation Analysis Between Preoperative Serum Iron Level and Prognosis as Well as Recurrence of HCC After Radical Resection.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationship between serum iron levels and the prognosis and risk of recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of 253 HCC patients who underwent radical resection were involved in this study. RESULTS: According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal cut-off value for preoperative serum iron in the assessment of HCC postoperative prognosis was 94 ug/dL. The overall survival (OS) of patients in the high iron group was significantly better than that in the low iron group (p < 0.001). The recurrence rate of patients in the low iron group was higher than that in the high iron group (p = 0.011). Correlation analysis showed that preoperative serum iron level was correlated with tumor size >5 cm (χ 2 = 11.590, p < 0.001), recurrence (χ 2 = 5.714, p = 0.017) and microvascular invasion (χ 2 = 5.087, p = 0.024). In addition, univariate analysis showed that OS and disease-free survival (DFS) of HCC patients with high iron level were better than those with low iron level. Furthermore, multivariate COX proportional hazards regression analysis showed that serum iron ≤94 µg/dL, tumor size >5 cm, and microvascular invasion were independent predictors for shorter OS and DFS in HCC patients after operation, while recurrence was for shorter OS. CONCLUSION: Patients with low preoperative serum iron level had worse postoperative survival and higher recurrence rate in HCC. Preoperative serum iron is an independent predictor of HCC patients. For HCC patients with low iron levels, prognosis of patients may be improved if appropriate iron is supplemented.

Caulis Spatholobi Ameliorates Obesity through Activating Brown Adipose Tissue and Modulating the Composition of Gut Microbiota.

Obesity is associated with disrupted energy homeostasis and intestinal dysbiosis. Caulis Spatholobi, traditional Chinese medicine for herbal therapy, contains a wide range of bioactive compounds and has a specific pharmacological function. However, its effects on obesity and related metabolic disorder have remained largely unexplored. In this study, we showed that the water extract of Caulis Spatholobi (WECS) has a significant effect in inhibiting body weight gain, decreasing adiposity, maintaining glucose homeostasis, reducing insulin resistance and improving hepatic steatosis in diet-introduced obesity (DIO) mice. Besides, the administration of WECS significantly increased the expression levels of genes involved in the brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and thermogenesis in DIO mice. Also, the activation of BAT treated with WECS was also confirmed in BAT primary cells. Mechanisms, the improvement of glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance may be related to the upregulated MAPK and AMPK pathways in white adipose tissue (WAT) and BAT. Notably, WECS also improved the obesity-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, which induced an increase of anti-obesity and anti-diabetes related bacteria genus. In conclusion, Caulis Spatholobi can ameliorate obesity through activating brown adipose tissue and modulating the composition of gut microbiota. Our findings provide a novel perspective on Chinese medicine applications and provide a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.

Mulberry leaves ameliorate obesity through enhancing brown adipose tissue activity and modulating gut microbiota.

The increased prevalence of obesity significantly affects human health worldwide. Improvement of glycometabolism by dietotherapy/herbal remedy is an effective approach to ameliorate obesity. In this study, high-fat-diet induced obese (DIO) mice were treated with mulberry leaves for 13 weeks. The results showed that mulberry leaves significantly alleviated adiposity of DIO mice including reducing body weight gain, fat accumulation and fasting blood glucose, and improving insulin sensitivity. In addition, mulberry leaves had protective effects on liver and kidneys. The abundant flavonoids, polyphenols and 1-deoxynojirimycin in mulberry leaves were likely responsible for their beneficial effects. Mechanistically, we found that mulberry leaves could alleviate obesity by enhancing brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity partly indicated by elevated thermogenesis and overexpression of uncoupling protein 1 in BAT. Moreover, mulberry leaves significantly increased the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and Akkermansia level that were closely associated with obesity development and progression, and decreased the potential proinflammatory Proteobacteria in feces. These findings reveal that the mulberry leaf is an edible plant food with therapeutic potential for obesity and may provide dietotherapy/herbal remedy to the treatment of obesity and its complications.

Acupuncture therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Fibromyalgia (FM) can cause chronic widespread pain and seriously affect the quality of patient lives. Acupuncture therapy is widely used for pain management. However, the effect of acupuncture on FM is still uncertain. The aim of this review was to determine the effect and safety of acupuncture therapy on the pain intensity and quality of life in patients with FM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for FM published before May 2018. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.3 software, and GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: We identified 12 RCTs that compared acupuncture therapy to sham acupuncture or conventional medication. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was significantly better than sham acupuncture for relieving pain (MD =-1.04, 95% CI [-1.70, -0.38], P=0.002, I 2=78%) and improving the quality of life (MD =-13.39, 95% CI [-21.69, -5.10], P=0.002, I 2=82%), with low- to moderate-quality evidence in the short term. At follow-up in the long term, the effect of acupuncture was also superior to that of sham acupuncture. No serious adverse events were found during acupuncture. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment for patients with FM, and this treatment can be recommended for the management of FM.

Association between the concurrence of pre-existing chronic liver disease and worse prognosis in patients with an herb- Polygonum multiflorum thunb. induced liver injury: a case-control study from a specialised liver disease center in China.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the association between the concurrence of pre-existing chronic liver diseases (CLD) and worse prognosis in patients with HILI. DESIGN: A case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary hospital specialising in liver diseases in China. PARTICIPANTS: 145 hospitalised HILI patients were assessed with respect to prognosis by comparing HILI with or without pre-existing CLD from February 2007 to January 2017. Twenty-five HILI cases with pre-existing alcoholic liver disease (ALD) or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 200 ALD or NAFLD controls matched 1:8 for sex, age (±4 years old), body mass index (±2 kg/m2), the type of CLD, alcohol intake (±5 g/d) and the presence or absence of cirrhosis. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality and chronicity in HILI patients with or without pre-existing CLD, and matched CLD patients. RESULTS: Of the 193 714 hospitalised patients with liver diseases, 5703 patients met the diagnostic criteria for drug-induced liver injury (DILI), which was attributed to Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (PMT) in 145 patients. Among these HILI patients, 22.8% (33 of 145) had pre-existing CLD, including 17 (51.5%) with ALD, 8 (24.2%) with NAFLD, 5 (15.2%) with chronic viral hepatitis and 3 (9.1%) with autoimmune liver disease. Compared with HILI patients without CLD, HILI patients with pre-existing CLD showed higher mortality (0.9% vs 9.1%, p=0.037) and higher chronicity (12.5% vs 30.3%, p=0.016). Compared with matched ALD (136 patients) or NAFLD (64 patients) patients, HILI patients with pre-existing ALD showed higher chronicity (35.3% vs 11.8%, p=0.019). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that concurrence of pre-existing CLD was an independent risk factor for both of chronicity and mortality (OR 3.966, 95% CI 1.501 to 10.477, p=0.005), especially the chronicity (OR 3.035, 95% CI 1.115 to 8.259, p=0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrence of pre-existing CLD could be an independent risk factor for worse prognosis, especially chronicity, in PMT-related HILI.

The food safety of DP-356Ø43 soybeans on SD rats reflected by physiological variables and fecal microbiota during a 90-day feeding study.

Soybean is an important food resource for the eastern countries and herbicide-tolerant genetically modified soybeans (GMS) were widely developed to deal with weeds problems. Unprocessed soybean flour instead of dehulled and defatted soybean meal was used to reflect the safety of soybean food in whole. Rats were given formulated diets containing DP-356Ø43 or non-GM soybean JACK at an incorporation rate of 7.5%, 15%, or 30% (w/w), respectively for 90 days. Targeted traditional toxicological response variables were measured to reflect the holistic health of animals. No treatment-related adverse or toxic effects were observed based on an examination of the daily clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, and organ weight or based on gross and histopathological examination. The results demonstrate that the soybean DP-356Ø43 is as safe for consumption as conventional soybean JACK. In the current study, the effect of a herbicide-tolerant GMS DP-356043 on identified intestinal microbiota was evaluated in a rodent feeding study compared with its conventional control JACK. Feces samples from rats consuming different diets were collected before the start of the experiment (time 0) and at monthly intervals (at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd months) over the course of 90 days. Six types of bacterias shared by humans and rats were detected with Q-PCR. The results of QPCR indicated that the GMS 356Ø43 had a comparable effect on the abundance of Bifidobacterium group, Clostridium perfringens subgroup, Escherichia coli, and Bacteroides-Prevotella group as the non-GMS JACK.

Zinc enhances the cellular energy supply to improve cell motility and restore impaired energetic metabolism in a toxic environment induced by OTA.

Exogenous nutrient elements modulate the energetic metabolism responses that are prerequisites for cellular homeostasis and metabolic physiology. Although zinc is important in oxidative stress and cytoprotection processes, its role in the regulation of energetic metabolism remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that zinc stimulated aspect in cell motility and was essential in restoring the Ochratoxin A (OTA)-induced energetic metabolism damage in HEK293 cells. Moreover, using zinc supplementation and zinc deficiency models, we observed that zinc is conducive to mitochondrial pyruvate transport, oxidative phosphorylation, carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism and ultimate energy metabolism in both normal and toxic-induced oxidative stress conditions in vitro, and it plays an important role in restoring impaired energetic metabolism. This zinc-mediated energetic metabolism regulation could also be helpful for DNA maintenance, cytoprotection and hereditary cancer traceability. Therefore, zinc can widely adjust energetic metabolism and is essential in restoring the impaired energetic metabolism of cellular physiology.

Mulberry leaf alleviates streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by attenuating NEFA signaling and modulating intestinal microflora.

Improvement of hyperglycemia through dietotherapy/herbal remedy is an effective approach to treating diabetes. In this study, mulberry leaf, famous for silkworm's special food and therapeutic value without any side effects, alleviated diabetes by attenuating NEFA signaling and modulating intestinal microflora. Mulberry leaf treatment significantly reduce fasting blood-glucose and HbA1c, ameliorate the blood lipid profile and improve insulin resistance in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Mechanistically, we found that mulberry leaf inhibited NEFA signaling by reducing downstream signaling in the NEFA pathway, further verified by reduced PKC and improved cellular energy homeostasis based on restored expression of PGC-1α, AK2, OXPHOS and adiponectin. Mulberry leaf treatment also restored the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria and class Clostridia, which were associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. Our findings reveal that mulberry leaf is an edible with therapeutic potential for diabetes and may provide a novel dietotherapy/herbal remedy to the treatment of diabetes.

Insoluble Dietary Fiber from Pear Pomace Can Prevent High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Rats Mainly by Improving the Structure of the Gut Microbiota.

Supplement of dietary fibers (DF) is regarded as one of the most effective way to prevent and relieve chronic diseases caused by long-term intake of a high-fat diet in the current society. The health benefits of soluble dietary fibers (SDF) have been widely researched and applied, whereas the insoluble dietary fibers (IDF), which represent a higher proportion in plant food, were mistakenly thought to have effects only in fecal bulking. In this article, we proved the anti-obesity and glucose homeostasis improvement effects of IDF from pear pomace at first, and then the mechanisms responsible for these effects were analyzed. The preliminary study by real-time PCR and ELISA showed that this kind of IDF caused more changes in the gut microbiota compared with in satiety hormone or in hepatic metabolism. Further analysis of the gut microbiota by high-throughput amplicon sequencing showed IDF from pear pomace obviously improved the structure of the gut microbiota. Specifically, it promoted the growth of Bacteroidetes and inhibited the growth of Firmicutes. These results are coincident with previous hypothesis that the ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes is negatively related with obesity. In conclusion, our results demonstrated IDF from pear pomace could prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity in rats mainly by improving the structure of the gut microbiota.

Purple Sweet Potato Attenuate Weight Gain in High Fat Diet Induced Obese Mice.

Purple sweet potato (PSP) is widely grown in Asia and considered as a healthy vegetable. The objective of the current study was to determine the anti-obesity effect of the PSP on high fat diet induced obese C57BL/6J mice. The mice were administrated with high fat diet supplemented with the sweet potato (SP) or PSP at the concentration of 15% and 30% for 12 wk, respectively. The results showed that the supplementation of SP or PSP at 30% significantly ameliorated high fat diet induced obesity and its associated risk factors, including reduction of body weight and fat accumulation, improvement of lipid profile and modulation of energy expenditure. Moreover, PSP also posed beneficial effect on the liver and kidney functions. These results indicate that PSP and SP have anti-obesity effect and are effective to reduce the metabolic risk.

Ethanolic Extract of the Golden Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus citrinopileatus (Agaricomycetes), Alleviates Metabolic Syndrome in Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Pleurotus citrinopileatus is an edible medicinal mushroom rich in biomolecules and thus has a high potential for use in formulating pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. To test its effect on body weight and glucose control, we generated diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J male mice by feeding the mice a high-fat diet (60% fat) for 8 weeks and treating them with an ethanolic P. citrinopileatus extract (PCE) at either 200 or 500 mg/kg body weight for 12 additional weeks. The results showed that PCE significantly inhibited high-fat diet-induced weight gain, fat accumulation, and glucose intolerance in the DIO mice. Moreover, the PCE had a beneficial effect on liver and kidney function. On the basis of these results, we conclude that PCE is effective in the treatment of metabolic syndrome and thus could be a good candidate for use in future pharmaceutical or nutraceutical applications.

Zinc inhibits aflatoxin B1-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human hepatocytes (HepG2 cells).

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has strong carcinogenicity. Consumption of AFB1-contaminated agricultural products and the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma have received widespread attention. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether zinc supplementation could inhibit AFB1-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in HepG2 cells and the mechanism of this inhibition. Our data suggest that zinc sources can relieve a certain degree of AFB1-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity by protecting against apoptotic body formation and DNA strand breaks, affecting S phase cell cycle arrest, reducing 8-OHdG formation, inhibiting global DNA hypomethylation and regulating gene expression in antioxidation, zinc-association and apoptosis processes. Consequently, zinc stabilizes the integrity of DNA and improves cell survival. These data provides new insights into the protective role of zinc in alleviating AFB1-induced cytotoxicity and mediating epigenetic changes in hepatocytes, demonstrating that zinc sources have detoxification properties in mycotoxin-induced toxicity.