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(PTFS17-07-26) Maleic Anhydride Esterified Starch Damages the Liver via the Gut-Liver Axis

Monday, July 27, 2026
2:54 PM - 2:58 PM ET
Location: Prince George's Hall B-E (The Hub) - Poster Theater 1 / Poster Board Number: PT1-7

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Zhengming Zhou, PhD

    Student
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Qile Zhang (he/him/his)

    Graduate student
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Disclosure(s):
Zhengming Zhou, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Starch illegally adulterated with maleic acid (anhydride), also known as "toxic starch," was illegally used in the 2013 Taiwan food safety incident, posing potential health risks, although its toxicological mechanism remains unclear.

Methods: Maleic anhydride-esterified corn starch (MAECS) was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An 8-week in vivo experiment was conducted in mice, during which MAECS was administered orally. Liver injury was assessed through histological examination and measurement of hepatic pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6). Colonic barrier integrity was evaluated by analyzing tight junction protein expression (ZO-1, occludin). To determine the causal role of gut microbiota, fecal microbiota from MAECS-exposed donors was transplanted into antibiotic-treated recipient mice, followed by phenotypic assessment of liver damage.

Results: Oral administration of MAECS for 8 weeks induced significant liver injury in mice, as evidenced by histological alterations and upregulated expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in liver tissue. Concurrently, decreased expression of ZO-1 and occludin indicated compromised colonic barrier function. Fecal microbiota transplantation from MAECS-exposed donors into antibiotic-treated recipients successfully recapitulated the liver injury phenotype, confirming that MAECS-induced dysbiosis plays a causal role in hepatotoxicity.

Conclusions: MAECS disrupts intestinal barrier integrity and alters gut microbiota composition, leading to systemic inflammation and subsequent liver injury. These findings provide mechanistic insights supporting the regulatory oversight of modified starches within food safety frameworks.

Funding Sources: Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [Project No.: CUHK 14110025]