| dc.description.abstract | People and animals can be unintentionally exposed to mixtures of hazardous mycotoxins and environmental chemicals following natural and man-made disasters through contaminated food, feed supplies and drinking water. To develop effective sorbents to sequester and detoxify mixtures of toxins, we have amended parent calcium and sodium montmorillonite clays with the natural nutrients L-carnitine and choline to enhance the lipophilicity of the clay surfaces. Additionally, montmorillonite clays were processed and activated by sulfuric acid to simulate activated carbon’s porosity and surface area. Clay-based enterosorbent therapy has been reported in previous animal and human clinical trials confirming the safety and efficacy of montmorillonite clay inclusion in diets. In this study, isotherm analyses showed that carnitine/choline amended montmorillonite clays and acid processed montmorillonite clays (APMs) were effective sorbents for chemicals with diverse structures and properties, including important mycotoxins, i.e. aflatoxin and zearalenone (ZEN) and the hazardous environmental chemicals, i.e. benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), aldicarb, glyphosate and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A hydra bioassay developed in our laboratory further confirmed the safety of clay inclusion in diets and the protective effects against individual toxins.
Besides decreased expansibility in water, higher surface areas, lower levels of trace metals and enhanced binding capacities of the newly developed clays, the enthalpy results suggested that the adsorption reaction can be classified as a chemisorption, involving tight binding of toxins to clay surfaces. This is the first report of a sorbent (other than activated carbon) with high binding efficacy for these toxins. Also, protection of hydra against a mycotoxin mixture and a PCB mixture indicated that APMs were able to adsorb mixtures of toxins due to high capacities. Based on our results, the carnitine/choline amended montmorillonites and APM clays can be delivered in water, capsules, food, vitamins, etc. as broad-acting toxin enterosorbents for the mitigation of mixtures of hazardous mycotoxins and environmental chemicals. | en |
