Research status of several programmed cell death in the toxic effect of AFB1.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin, is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic compounds of common pollutants in crops. Taking the liver as the main target organ, AFB1 has strong carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects, which can lead to oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, gene mutation, and immune system damage. It is a major hidden danger for feed and food safety and a serious threat to animal and human health. Programmed cell death (PCD), such as apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, is an active and orderly death process regulated by genes, which is essential for the development, homeostasis maintenance, and disease defense of multicellular organisms. Increasing evidence shows that PCD plays a key role in the occurrence and development of AFB1 poisoning. Existing studies have shown that AFB1 exposure can induce oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, metabolic disorders, inflammatory signal activation, and other multiple mechanisms, dysregulate or activate a variety of PCD pathways, thereby causing injury and dysfunction of multiple organs, especially the liver, kidney, nerve, and reproductive system.