Flavonoid hesperidin protects neural crest cells from death caused by aflatoxin B(1)

The neural crest (NC) corresponds to a collection of multipotent and oligopotent progenitors endowed with both neural and mesenchymal potentials. The derivatives of the NC at trunk level include neurons and glial cells of the peripheral nervous system. Despite the well-known influence of aflatoxins on the development of cancer, the issue of whether they also influence NC cells has not been yet addressed. In the present work, we have investigated the effects of aflatoxin B(1) on quail NC cells and the concomitant effects of the flavonoid hesperidin associated with this mycotoxin. We show for the first time that aflatoxin B(1) decreases the viability and the total number of glial and neuronal cells/field, although their proportions in relation to the total number of cells were not altered. Therefore, aflatoxin has no effect on NC differentiation. However, this compound was able to reduce NC proliferation and NC survival. Furthermore, the co-administration of hesperidin, a well-known polyphenolic protector of cell death, partially prevented the effect of aflatoxin B(1) . Taken together, our results demonstrate that aflatoxin B(1) is toxic to NC cells, an effect partially prevented by the flavonoid hesperidin. This study may contribute to the understanding of the effects of these compounds during early embryonic development and offer potentially more assertive diets and treatments for pregnant animals.