Mycotoxins, gut microbiota alterations and liver disease in animals: A scoping review

Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites widely detected in up to eighty percent of frequently consumed foods, strongly associated with toxicological mechanisms. Evidence indicates that hepatic pathophysiology entails gut microbiota dysbiosis mediated by the complex, bidirectional interactions within the gut-liver axis. This scoping review aims to provide insight into the relationship between mycotoxins, gut microbiota, and liver disease in animals, having been conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (n = 44). The analyzed species were hens, broilers, rabbits, mice, carps, turbots, Lateolabrax maculatus, chicks, sheep, and rats. The most altered liver parameters, as a consequence of mycotoxin exposure, were alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, tumor necrosis factor-α, lipopolysaccharide, and inflammatory infiltration. Gut microbiota changes were analyzed at phylum (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia) and genus level (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Akkermansia, Escherichia, Allobaculum, Blautia, Staphylococcus, Prevotella, Bacteroides, Turicibacter, Corynebacterium, Roseburia, Coprococcus). What is more, out of more of 400 existing mycotoxins, only a small fraction of mycotoxins has been investigated in the interplay of the gut-liver axis ((Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), enniatins (ENNs) and T-2 toxin)). Therefore, more research is to better understand the interplay of interactions regarding mycotoxins and the gut microbiota-liver axis, focusing on the formulation of new functional foods and/or nutraceuticals as toxicity mitigating strategies.