We examined the incidence of neural tube defects and weight changes of fetus and placenta

Mycotoxin binders can be divided into mycotoxin-adsorbing agents and mycotoxin-transforming agents. The former can adsorb mycotoxins in the gastrointestinal tracts and form complexes to excrete, whereas the latter can reduce the toxicity of mycotoxins by degrading mycotoxins into non-toxic structures. Aluminosilicates are the largest group of mycotoxin adsorbing agents, and they include bentonites, MMT, Z-VAD-FMK Caspase inhibitor zeolites, and HSCAS. The NSP used in this study was exfoliated from natural MMT and possessed huge surface area and high ion density. These unique characteristics showed excellent microorganism-binding activity. These previous results inspired us to investigate whether NSP could adsorb FB1 in vitro and in vivo to ameliorate the negative effects on embryonic development. Before evaluating the ability of NSP to adsorb FB1, we assessed the toxicity of NSP on the development of mouse embryos. These results indicated that NSP would not inhibit the development of intact pre-implantation mouse embryos, although NSP aggregated on the surface of the zona pellucida during in vitro culture. Early embryos hatching from zona pellucida may occur occasionally. Hence, the zona-free embryos were also examined in this study, and we found that NSP could hinder the development of zona-free embryos. Furthermore, the embryos derived from the female mice intubated-fed with NSP were able to develop normally to the blastocyst stage. Ten NSP-treated females per dose were allowed to give birth, and the appearance and growth of the offspring did not differ from those offspring from 8 control litters. Although changes of weight were observed in the NSP-treated females during the consumption period, these were considered likely to be normal day-to-day fluctuations. Based on the in vitro and in vivo study, embryos could still develop successfully even if NSP deposited in the oviduct or uterus, due to the protection from the zona pellucida. Specific features of the adsorbants, i.e., total charge and charge distribution, pore size, accessible surface area, and adsorption affinity to mycotoxins, are the critical factors determining the adsorption efficiency. Aluminosilicates are rich in negative charges, allowing them to adsorb mycotoxins in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals, and they are highly effective at adsorbing aflatoxins but are limited for other mycotoxins. The NSP was exfoliated from MMT, and FB1 was selected to evaluate whether NSP possesses adsorbing ability. After mixing NSP and FB1, a muddy phenomenon was observed, and it was suggested that FB1 was adsorbed by NSP. The residual concentration of FB1 in blood was also significantly decreased by supplementation with NSP in the consumption assay. In the in vivo assay, some organisms in the gastrointestinal tract of animals might degrade FB1, or there may be other specific pathways facilitating its in vivo adsorption by NSP. A further investigation was conducted to study the in vivo adsorption efficiency of NSP on FB1.