Editing Aflatoxin (section)

== Major types and their metabolites ==

[[Aflatoxin B1|Aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub>]] is considered the most toxic and is produced by both ''[[Aspergillus flavus]]'' and ''[[Aspergillus parasiticus]]''. [[Aflatoxin M1|Aflatoxin M<sub>1</sub>]] is present in the fermentation broth of ''Aspergillus parasiticus'', but it and aflatoxin M<sub>2</sub> are also produced when an infected liver metabolizes aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> and B<sub>2</sub>.

* Aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> and B<sub>2</sub> (AFB), produced by ''A.&nbsp;flavus'' and ''A.&nbsp;parasiticus''
* Aflatoxin G<sub>1</sub> and G<sub>2</sub> (AFG), produced by some Group II ''A.&nbsp;flavus'' and ''Aspergillus parasiticus''<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Geiser DM, Dorner JW, Horn BW, Taylor JW | title = The phylogenetics of mycotoxin and sclerotium production in Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae | journal = Fungal Genetics and Biology | volume = 31 | issue = 3 | pages = 169–79 | date = December 2000 | pmid = 11273679 | doi = 10.1006/fgbi.2000.1215 | url = https://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=35468&content=PDF | access-date = 2018-12-29 | archive-date = 2021-01-26 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210126201540/https://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=35468&content=PDF | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* Aflatoxin M<sub>1</sub> (AFM<sub>1</sub>), metabolite of aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> in humans and animals (exposure in [[nanogram|ng]] levels may come from a mother's milk)
* Aflatoxin M<sub>2</sub>, metabolite of aflatoxin B<sub>2</sub> in milk of cattle fed on contaminated foods<ref name=fermetek/>
* Aflatoxicol (AFL): metabolite produced by breaking down the lactone ring
* Aflatoxin Q<sub>1</sub> (AFQ<sub>1</sub>), major metabolite of AFB<sub>1</sub> in ''[[in vitro]]'' liver preparations of other higher vertebrates<ref name=smith/>

AFM, AFQ, and AFL retain the possibility to become an epoxide. Nevertheless, they appear much less capable of causing [[mutagenesis]] than the unmetabolized ABM.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Neal GE, Eaton DL, Judah DJ, Verma A | title = Metabolism and toxicity of aflatoxins M1 and B1 in human-derived in vitro systems | journal = Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology | volume = 151 | issue = 1 | pages = 152–8 | date = July 1998 | pmid = 9705898 | doi = 10.1006/taap.1998.8440 }}</ref>