The effect of aflatoxin on blood clotting in the rat.

1. The action of aflatoxin on blood clotting of rats was investigated. Aflatoxin B(1) prolonged the blood clotting time of rats.2. Aflatoxin B(1) was effective as an anticoagulant in much smaller doses than 4-hydroxycoumarin.

Comparative histopathological effects of aflatoxin B1 and palmotoxins B0 and G0 on some organs of different strains of the newly hatched chick (Gallus domesticus).

Aflatoxin B1 and palmotoxin B0 are equitoxic to the developing chick-embryo (Gallus domesticus) whilst palmotoxin G0 is relatively non-toxic. Toxic lesions are present in the heart, liver, skeletal muscle, brain and cartilage in varying severities. The liver and skeletal muscle show fatty change and toxic myositis, respectively. Lesions in the heart, brain and cartilage are relatively mild. The endocardial cushion-like plaques at the base of the atrioventricular valves are lesions peculiar to aflatoxin B1 and palmotoxin B0-induced cardiac damage. It appears that these mycotoxins are not selectively tissue specific in inducing organ damage in the chick-embryo. An ultrastructural study of these lesions in the chick and other species may help to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the toxicity of these mycotoxins which are suspected to be very potent human hepatocarcinogens in certain parts of the tropics. Their acute phase effects in man are, however, unknown.

Action of dihydroaflatoxins on rat liver mitochondria. 1. Membrane-dependent osmotic and redox effects of aflatoxins B2 and G2.

Membrane-dependent osmotic and redox effects of two dihydroaflatoxins (aflatoxin B2 and G2) on isolated rat liver mitochondria were investigated. These toxins did not cause any marked swelling, inhibit any ATP induced contraction or stimulate ATPase activity of mitochondria at concentrations within the range 1--2 x 10(-6) M. Redox measurements on the respiratory chain showed that both toxins inhibited respiration between cytochrome c and the terminal oxygen. The significance of these findings in relation to the differential toxicity of the aflatoxins is discussed.

Effect of feeding different carbohydrates to rats on low protein diets.

The experimental results to be presented here do not demonstrate any significance among the means of the values obtained for the various carbohydrate diets, except for lactose. The results will suggest that the differences between the values for lactose and other diets are significant (PL0.05).No definite trend in the biological value (BV), the net protein utilization (NPU), and the true digestibility (TD) which can be attributed to the influence of the carbohydrates are shown by these results. The various dietary manipulations produce no results significantly different than the values for starch, the exception being lactose. The values for lactose are more than for other sugars.However, the results will show a relationship between a mixture of protein in the diet with the values of the individual protein sources if determined separately. Evidently, the values of each protein in any mixture can be predicted by measuring its TD in the mixture.

Variations in the blood clotting time and lipid patterns of the Nigerian monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops tantalus, during captivity.

The blood clotting time and serum lipid values of newly-captured Nigerian monkeys were determined during the period of adaptation. Large fluctuations in serum free and total cholesterol and phospholipid values were observed throughout the 12-week period of investigation. The variations in blood clotting time were not significant (p greater than 0.05). These wide variations in lipid values suggest the need for caution in interpreting data from newly-captured subhuman primates.

Short-term effects of aflatoxin B1 on serum lipids in subhuman primates.

Aflatoxin B1 significantly depressed serum lipid levels in specimens of Cercopithecus aethiops, Cercopithecus mona, Erythrocebus patas and Papio anubis. Serum cholesterol, total phospholipids and total lipids were not affected to the same extent.

A delay in blood clotting of chickens and ducks induced by aflatoxin treatment.

Using the thrombotest technique blood clotting times were measured in the duck and the chicken after an intraperitoneal (I.P.) administration of aflatoxin B1 (58 microgram/kg body weight). Six hours after injection, the average thrombotest (blood clotting) time of the blood of the young duck was 194.5 +/- 1.3 sec (control time was 101.5 +/- 1.4, P less than .0001) and that of the young chicken averaged 70.2 +/- sec (control time was 51.7 +/- 2 sec, P less than .001). Corresponding times for the aflatoxin-treated adult birds were 249.5 +/- 1.4 sec (control, 118.5 +/- 1.1 sec; P less than .001) and 82.9 +/- .2 sec (control, 66.8 +/- .1 sec; P less than .001) for the duck and chicken respectively. In addition to the relatively low concentration of blood clotting factors in the plasma of the bird the present results suggest that there is a weak interaction of blood clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X in the avian species during aflatoxin poisoning. There is an inter-species difference in the anticoagulant effects of aflatoxin in the avian class.

Interaction of the aflatoxins with classical antibiotics which inhibit Bacillus brevis (2611).

Synergism, antagonism and addictive action are three modes of interaction among antibiotics and non-antibiotic compounds. The present paper reports the type of interaction between each of the four main members of the aflatoxin family (BB, G and G) and each of five commonly used classical antibiotics. The test aflatoxins were freshly prepared and confirmed crystalline pure by the use of ultraviolet (u.v.), infrared (i.r.) and nuclear magnetic resonane (n.m.r.) spectroscopy. Interaction between penicillin and aflatoxin B (AFB) gave an antagonistic profile. The interaction of AFB with tetracycline was synergistic. Novobiocin interaction with aflatoxin G also reflected synergism. All other characteristics of interaction between antibiotics and the aflatoxins showed additive profiles.