Abstract: Aflatoxins (AFs) are a kind of poisonous substances from mold, among which aflatoxins B₁(AFB₁) is the most toxic and harmful.AFB₁ is a bifuranocyclic toxin with strong carcinogenicity and intense toxicity, which is widely distributed in moldy corn, peanut, rice and soybean and other food and oil crops, human and animal poisoning caused by AFB₁ has resulted in serious harm to food safety, livestock breeding and other industries.AFB₁ has been shown to cause oxidative stress, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, gene mutation and immune system damage.The immunotoxic effects of AFB₁ on inhibiting immune system and destroying immune tolerance were discussed.AFB₁ promotes the production of reactive oxygen species and activates the Nrf2-ARE pathway to induce oxidative stress and inflammatory response, thus causing organ damage.AFB₁ regulates exogenous apoptosis through cell death-related receptors and induces endogenous apoptosis through a series of apoptosis-related proteins.AFB₁ can also trigger inflammatory response through the classical pyroapoptotic pathway of liver cells, which can lead to abnormal cell death.The mechanism and research progress of AFB₁ genotoxicity and its detoxification measures were reviewed.This review is expected to provide a reference for in-depth research on the pathogenic mechanism of AFB₁ and the development of related control drugs, and afford an effective basis for the selection of detoxification measures for moldy grain and oil crops.

Key words: aflatoxin B₁(AFB₁)); immunotoxicity; pathogenic mechanism; food safety; livestock and poultry breeding