Urinary taurine as a non-invasive marker of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatotoxicity : success and failure

• Published in: Toxicology (Amsterdam) Vol. 118; no. 2-3; pp. 159 - 169
• Main Authors: MAXUITENKO, Y. Y, NORTH, W. G, ROEBUCK, B. D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Science 28.03.1997; Amsterdam
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Aflatoxin B1 - administration & dosage; Aflatoxin B1 - toxicity; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Amino Acids - urine; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - urine; Body Weight - drug effects; Carcinogens - toxicity; Cell Size - drug effects; Circadian Rhythm; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drinking - drug effects; Eating - drug effects; L-Iditol 2-Dehydrogenase - blood; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; Liver - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Organ Size - drug effects; Plant poisons toxicology; Poisoning - mortality; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Taurine - urine; Toxicology; Urine; Biological fluid; Taurine; Rat; Toxicity; Low dose; Rodentia; Mycotoxin; Oral administration; Biological marker; Hepatic disease; Dose activity relation; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Aflatoxin B1; Digestive diseases; High dose
• ISSN: 0300-483X; 1879-3185
• DOI: 10.1016/S0300-483X(96)03610-4

The usefulness of urinary taurine as a non-invasive measure of hepatotoxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was evaluated: changes in urinary taurine were characterized in a dose-response, acute toxicity experiment and in two sub-chronic, low dose exposure experiments. Urine of young, male, F344 rats was collected for 4 days prior to, and for 3 days after, the treatment with AFB1. Rats received a single p.o. dose of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 mg AFB1/kg body wt. A transient increase in urinary taurine was noted with doses of 1, 2 or 3 mg AFB1/kg. In two sub-chronic exposure experiments, rats were gavaged with 25 microg AFB1/day for 5 successive days per week for 1 or 2 weeks (approximately 0.25 mg/kg/day). In the first experiment, only a transient increase in urinary taurine during 5 successive doses of AFB1 was observed, while in the second experiment, urinary taurine rose continuously during the 2 weeks of the AFB1 treatment. An explanation for these differing results is not obvious. Urinary taurine appeared to be a useful, non-invasive marker when hepatotoxicity was extensive. Unfortunately, at the low doses of AFB1 (0.25-0.5 mg/kg) as used in carcinogenesis experiments (10 doses of 25 microg/rat), urinary taurine appeared to be an insensitive measure of hepatic damage.