Inevitable dietary exposure of Benzo[a]pyrene: carcinogenic risk assessment an emerging issues and concerns

Food-borne Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, exposure is one of the major concerns associated with a risk of cancer development. The aggregative environmental pollution has increased B[a]P contamination in grilled and barbecued meat, vegetables, oils, grain and cereals, fruits, smoked fish, and seafood leading to a high dietary intake in the worldwide human population. B[a]P activation through cytochrome P450 leads to generate active metabolites that directly react with DNA and form adducts causing mutations to initiate carcinogenesis. Moreover, B[a]P-dependent reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial damage cause apoptosis and induce autophagy, which results in the disruption of cellular homeostasis and neoplastic transformation. Further, B[a]P alters cell signals regulating proliferative and survival pathways that drive cancer cell migration and metastasis; however, the precise mechanisms underlying its carcinogenic properties remain yet to be thoroughly defined. The elevated levels of exposure of B[a]P result in the alteration of immune cell function and immunosuppression making suitable conditions for tumor development. This review presents the details of B[a]P occurrence in food, total daily intake of B[a]P, and the level of B [a]P associated with a cancer risk. In conclusion, we have focused on the role of B[a]P contamination in food for cancer risk and the possible molecular mechanism of cancer development, which could provide a way to reduce cancer incidence either by regulatory efforts or modifying food processed technology.