Vet World   Vol.18   May-2025  Article - 21 

Biomarker-based evaluation of aflatoxin B1 exposure in cattle

Priyadharshini Ponnusamy¹ , Umaya Suganthi Rajendran² , Madhavan Gopalakrishnan Nair¹ , Uma Sambath¹ , Raja Kumar¹ , Jacob Thanislass³ , Avinash Warundeo Lakkawar¹ , Vijayalakshmi Padmanaban⁴ , and Poobitha Subbarayan¹

Background and Aim: Assessment of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure in cattle traditionally relies on feed analysis, which may not reflect chronic exposure or accurately indicate individual susceptibility. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of serum AFB1-albumin adducts and blood AFB1-DNA adducts as biomarkers for assessing individual chronic AFB1 exposure in cattle, irrespective of immediate feed contamination levels.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 53 crossbred cattle from farms, clinical veterinary cases, and slaughterhouses in Puducherry, India. Feed samples (n = 40) from farm and clinical cases were analyzed for aflatoxin contamination using two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. AFB1 exposure was quantified by measuring serum AFB1-albumin adducts and blood AFB1-DNA adducts using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, a novel method was developed to synthesize the aflatoxin B1-formamidopyrimidine (AFB1-FAPy) adduct in vitro and the synthesized adduct was characterized to serve as a standard for DNA adduct quantification.

Results: AFB1 was detected in 50% of feed samples, with 70% of positive samples exceeding the maximum permissible limit of 20 μg/kg. Despite variable feed contamination, serum AFB1-albumin and blood AFB1-DNA adducts were consistently detected across all animal groups. Median AFB1-albumin adduct levels were similar among farm (0.730 pg/mg), clinical (0.670 pg/mg), and slaughterhouse (0.770 pg/mg) cattle (p = 0.731). Median AFB1-DNA adduct levels were highest in slaughterhouse cattle (18.33 pmol/μg DNA), followed by farm (14.76 pmol/μg DNA) and clinical cases (7.47 pmol/μg DNA), although differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.328). No significant correlation was observed between feed contamination levels and biomarker concentrations, highlighting the chronic nature of AFB1 exposure.

Conclusion: The consistent detection of AFB1-albumin and AFB1-DNA adducts in cattle, irrespective of detectable aflatoxin levels in feed, underscores the limitations of traditional feed analysis for monitoring chronic exposure. The novel synthesis and robust detection of AFB1-FAPy DNA adducts further enhance the reliability of these biomarkers. These biomarkers are minimally invasive, sensitive, and valuable for chronic aflatoxin exposure assessment, aiding proactive management strategies to safeguard animal health and public food safety.

Keywords: aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B1-albumin adduct, aflatoxin B1-DNA adduct, biomarkers, cattle, chronic exposure, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

How to cite this article: Ponnusamy P, Rajendran US, Nair MG, Sambath U, Kumar R, Thanislass J, Lakkawar AW, Padmanaban V and Subbarayan P (2025) Biomarker-based evaluation of aflatoxin B1 exposure in cattle, Veterinary World, 18(5): 1297-1305.

Received: 25-02-2025   Accepted: 12-04-2025   Published online: 25-05-2025

Corresponding author: Madhavan Gopalakrishnan Nair and Umaya Suganthi Rajendran    E-mail: drmgnair@gmail.com and r.umayasuganthi@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1297-1305

Copyright: Ponnusamy, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.