Abstract
Aflatoxins and fumonisins are important food-borne mycotoxins implicated in human health and have cytotoxic effects. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the protective role of Panax ginseng extract (PGE) against the synergistic effect of subchronic administration of aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) and fumonisin B-1 (FB1) on DNA and gene expression in rat. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into eight groups (ten rats/group) and treated for 12 weeks including the control group, the group having received AFB(1) (80 A mu g/kg bw), the group having received FB1 (100 A mu g/kg bw), the group having received AFB(1) plus FB1 and the groups having received PGE (20 mg/kg bw) alone or with AFB(1) and/or FB1. At the end of experiment, liver and kidney were collected for the determination of DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation (LP), glutathione (GSH) contents and alterations in gene expression. The results indicated that these mycotoxins increased DNA fragmentation, LP and decreased GSH content in liver and kidney and down-regulated gene expression of antioxidants enzymes. The combined treatments with AFB(1) and/or FB1 plus PGE suppressed DNA fragmentation only in the liver, normalized LP and increased GSH in the liver and kidney as well as up-regulated the expression of GPx, SOD1 and CAT mRNA. It could be concluded that AFB(1) and FB1 have synergistic genotoxic effects. PGE induced protective effects against their oxidative stress and genotoxicity through its antioxidant properties.