Effects of Subtoxic Doses of Aflatoxin B1: An In Vitro Assessment of Micronucleus Assay and Induction of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

ABSTRACT Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) is a mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus . The genotoxic capacity of AFB 1 has been demonstrated in a range of genotoxicity assays. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of AFB 1 and fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ) mixtures on hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2), as well as the inflammatory effects on human neutrophils of AFB 1 at environmentally relevant concentrations. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay. The cytostatic and genotoxic effects were evaluated using the micronucleus technique, and the inflammatory effect of AFB 1 was determined by fluorescence microscopy to evaluate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Additionally, we have explored the response of the system in a coexposure treatment with FB 1 . Significant increases in micronucleus frequency, apoptosis, and necrosis were observed after treatment with 10‐μM AFB 1 or 10‐μM AFB 1 + 50‐μM FB 1 . FB 1 did not have a synergistic effect with AFB 1 . A relative impairment of the genetic material reflected by nucleoplasmic bridges, nuclear budding, and donut‐shaped nuclei was observed. On the other hand, the assessment of the inflammatory response showed that AFB 1 induces the formation of extracellular traps, apparently dose dependent.