Lactobacillus plantarum T3 as an adsorbent of aflatoxin B1 effectively mitigates the toxic effects on mice

The accumulation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in the body is extremely harmful for host health. Using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to modulate the adsorption and toxicity of AFB1 is an attractive research field. This paper aims to isolate LAB for AFB1 removal, confirm its action mechanism, investigate factors affecting adsorption, and evaluate its protection against AFB1-induced toxicity. Sixty indigenous LAB strains were evaluated for their ability to remove AFB1 (1 μg/ml) and Lactobacillus plantarum T3 exhibited the highest AFB1 removal rate (68.5%). The removal rates of AFB1 by inactivated L.plantarum T3 cells, peptidoglycan, and cytoderm were 84.0%, 87.8%, and 77.0% respectively, indicating that L.plantarum T3 mainly removes AFB1 by cell adsorption. The stability of L.plantarum T3-AFB1 complex was assessed by determination of AFB1 residues in the artificial gastrointestinal environment after the complex was co-cultured for 1–3 h. The results revealed that the complex remained relatively stable, with an adsorption capacity of >50%. Compared to the mice induced by AFB1, oral intake of live and inactivated L.plantarum T3 can (i) efficiently enhance fecal AFB1 excretion, normalize pathology, and reduce serum levels of ALT, AST and Cr; (ii) ameliorate oxidative stress and immune imbalance by increasing the levels of GSH, IL-4, IgG, IgM, while decreasing MDA and TNF-α; (iii) restore gut homeostasis by maintaining Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes balance and promoting growth of beneficial bacteria. The results suggested that both live and inactivated L.plantarum T3 are promising adsorbents of AFB1 and could be considered as an effective and easy dietary intervention against its toxicity.