Anti-Lys monoclonal antibody, clone PYM1

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites with mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and immunosuppressive capacity in humans, the occurrence of which in maize grain is widespread. Nixtamalization, a process based on alkaline cooking, including infrared radiation, may be a suitable method for detoxification of this toxin. In this work, we carried out a cytotoxic and genotoxic evaluation of the extracts from maize (ME), tortilla from an infrared nixtamalization process (TEIR) and tortilla from a traditional nixtamalization process (TET) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde production), oxidative damage (glutathione modulation), Ames test (mutagenic response), and Comet assay (DNA damage). The formation capacity of the AFB(1)-Lysine (AFB(1)-Lys) adduct using maize and tortilla extracts was also tested. The infrared nixtamalization process showed a reduction of up to 93% of aflatoxins in tortillas, with a decrease in cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in all the tests performed. However, with TEIR and TET, AFB(1)-Lys adduct was not formed. We concluded that the process of nixtamalization with infrared radiation can be used for the detoxification of aflatoxins in tortillas.

The tripeptide NH2-Gly-His-Lys-COOH (GHK),cis-urocanic acid (cis-UCA) and Cu(II) ions are physiological constituents of the human body and they co-occur (e.g., in the skin and the plasma). While GHK is known as Cu(II)-binding molecule, we found that urocanic acid also coordinates Cu(II) ions. Furthermore, both ligands create ternary Cu(II) complex being probably physiologically functional species. Regarding the natural concentrations of the studied molecules in some human tissues, together with the affinities reported here, we conclude that the ternary complex [GHK][Cu(II)][cis-urocanic acid] may be partly responsible for biological effects of GHK and urocanic acid described in the literature.