The anti-aflatoxigenic mechanism of cinnamaldehyde in Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the predominant and most carcinogenic naturally polyketide, is mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Cinnamaldehyde has been reported for inhibiting the growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus. But its molecular mechanism of action still remains largely ambiguous. Here, the anti-aflatoxigenic mechanism of cinnamaldehyde in A. flavus was investigated via a comparative transcriptomic analysis. The results indicated that twenty five of thirty genes in aflatoxin cluster showed down-regulation by cinnamaldehyde although the cluster regulators aflR and aflS were slightly up-regulated. This may be due to the up-regulation of the oxidative stress-related genes srrA, msnA and atfB being caused by the significant down-regulation of the diffusible factor FluG. Cinnamaldehyde also inhibited aflatoxin formation by perturbing GPCRs and oxylipins normal function, cell wall biosynthesis and redox equilibrium. In addition, accumulation of NADPH due to up-regulation of pentose phosphate pathway drove acetyl-CoA to lipids synthesis rather than polyketides. Both GO and KEGG analysis suggested that pyruvate and phenylalanine metabolism, post-transcriptional modification and key enzymes biosynthesis might be involved in the suppression of AFB1 production by cinnamaldehyde. This study served to decipher the anti-aflatoxigenic properties of cinnamaldehyde in A. flavus and provided powerful evidence for its use in practice.