Effects of Functional Yogurt Supplementation on Aflatoxin-Induced Maternal–Fetal Toxicity in Pregnant Rats
João Victor Batista da Silva, Jéssica Cristina Leme, Giovana Perez Montenegro, Deisy Mara Silva Longo, Marlei Josiele Augusto, Fernando Silva Ramalho, Lucas Gabriel Dionisio Freire, Carlos Humberto Corassin, Fernando Gustavo Tonin, Sher Ali, Carlos Augusto Fernandes de Oliveira, Leandra Náira Zambelli RamalhoAflatoxin (AF) exposure during pregnancy may compromise maternal health and fetal development. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of gestational exposure to AF in pregnant Wistar rats and the mitigating effect of a functional yogurt (FY) containing inactivated biomass of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Animals were exposed to total AF (sum AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2: 1.0 mg/kg/day) from gestational day (GD) 6 to 15, with or without FY supplementation. Maternal and reproductive parameters, fetal development, cranial ossification and placental growth factor (PlGF) immunostaining were evaluated, along with determination of AF metabolites in maternal and fetal samples. AF exposure reduced maternal weight gain during GD6–GD15 and fetal weight at GD20. Delayed cranial ossification occurred in 51.4 and 15.6% of fetuses in AF and AF + FY groups, respectively, with most severe alterations occurring in the AF group. Serum aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) concentrations were lower (p = 0.002) in AF + FY than in AF groups. AF metabolites were quantified less frequently in maternal liver from FY-supplemented animals (p = 0.015), while placentas or fetal livers from the AF + FY group had no quantifiable levels of AF metabolites. PlGF immunostaining was highest in AF group and lowest in the FY group (p = 0.0007). In conclusion, FY containing L. rhamnosus and S cerevisiae biomasses attenuated some AF-induced effects on fetal development, particularly delayed cranial ossification.