Effects of aflatoxin B1 on serum and pituitary prolactin levels in male rats

Aflatoxin B1a secondary fungal metabolite and a major contaminant of human and animal foodstuffs, is one of the most potent carcinogen known. A decrease in milk production was recently observed in dairy cows when they consumed aflatoxin B[1] contaminated feed. In this study, the effect of aflatoxin, B[1] on serum and anterior pituitary prolactin levels was examined in male rats. Aflatoxin B[1] in doses of 0.7 and 1.4 mg/kg body weight decreased serum prolactin levels after 30,60 and 120 min of injection with no significant changes in pituitary prolactin levels. In contrast, 2.8 mg/kg body weight of aflatoxin B[1] increased pituitary prolactin levels and produced no significant changes in serum prolactin levels. Similarly, chronic administration of aflatoxin B[1] resulted in an increase in pituitary prolactin levels and no significant changes in serum prolactin levels. It is suggested that affatoxin B[1] decreases milk production by modulating, at least in part, prolactin release from the anterior pituitary gland

Incidence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases

Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] antibody prevalence and titers were determined in 17 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma [BL], 12 patients with Hodgkin's disease [HD], 48 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia [ALL], 28 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], seven patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] and 112 healthy controls. The patients showed increased incidence of high antibody titers to viral capsid antigen [VCA] and EBV early antigen [EA]. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of antibodies to capsid antigen in patients [90%] and in control [86%], but the geometric means of antibody to VCA and to EA were 2.5 to five fold higher in patients than in the control group. The results reflect the high incidence of EBV infection in Jordan