Resveratrol Alleviates Zearalenone-Induced Intestinal Dysfunction in Mice through the NF-κB/Nrf2/HO-1 Signalling Pathway

Zearalenone (ZEA), a mycotoxin widely present in crops and food, poses a major threat to animal and human health. The consumption of ZEA-contaminated food or feed causes intestinal damage. Therefore, exploring how to mitigate the intestinal damage caused by its ZEA is becoming increasingly important. Resveratrol (RSV), a polyphenol compound, mainly exists in Vitis vinifera, Polygonum cuspidatum, Arachis hypogaea, and other plants. It has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The primary objective of this study was to assess the defensive effects of RSV and its molecular mechanism on the intestinal mucosal injury induced by ZEA exposure in mice. The results showed that RSV pretreatment significantly reduced serum DAO and that D-lactate levels altered intestinal morphology and markedly restored TJ protein levels, intestinal goblet cell number, and MUC-2 gene expression after ZEA challenge. In addition, RSV significantly reversed serum pro-inflammatory factor levels and abnormal changes in intestinal MDA, CAT, and T-SOD. Additional research demonstrated that RSV decreased inflammation by blocking the translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65 and decreased oxidative stress by activating the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway and its associated antioxidant genes, including NQO1, γ-GCS, and GSH-PX. In summary, RSV supplementation attenuates intestinal oxidative stress, inflammation, and intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by ZEA exposure by mediating the NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways.

Zearalenone and its metabolites: Effect on human health, metabolism and neutralisation methods

Mycotoxins are natural compounds produced as secondary metabolites by mold fungi belonging mainly to the Fusarium family, commonly found on plants such as corn or small grains in the temperate climate zone. One of these mycotoxins is zearalenone, which is classified as a xenoestrogen, an exogenous compound which resembles the structure of naturally occurring estrogens with its chemical structure. This property of zearalenone determines its ability to bind to estrogen receptors of cell and its bioaccumulation. This leads to disorders of the hormonal balance of the body, which in consequence may lead to numerous diseases of reproductive system such as prostate, ovarian, cervical or breast cancers. High risk posed by long-term exposure to contaminated food forces the modern science to develop and implement effective methods of zearalenone neutralisation. This work is a review of current state of knowledge on toxic effects of zearalenone, its metabolism in biological systems and proposed methods of its neutralisation.

High resolution-ion mobility mass spectrometry as an additional powerful tool for structural characterization of mycotoxin metabolites

This work was designed as a proof of concept, to demonstrate the successful use of the comparison between theoretical and experimental collision cross section (CCS) values to support the identification of isomeric forms. To this purpose, thirteen mycotoxins were considered and analyzed using drift time ion mobility mass spectrometry. A good linear correlation (r² = 0.962) between theoretical and experimental CCS was found. The average ΔCCS was 3.2%, fully consistent with the acceptability threshold value commonly set at 5%. The agreement between theoretical and experimental CCS obtained for mycotoxin glucuronides suggested the potential of the CCS matching in supporting the annotation procedure.

State of the evidence 2017: an update on the connection between breast cancer and the environment

BACKGROUND

In this review, we examine the continually expanding and increasingly compelling data linking radiation and various chemicals in our environment to the current high incidence of breast cancer. Singly and in combination, these toxicants may have contributed significantly to the increasing rates of breast cancer observed over the past several decades. Exposures early in development from gestation through adolescence and early adulthood are particularly of concern as they re-shape the program of genetic, epigenetic and physiological processes in the developing mammary system, leading to an increased risk for developing breast cancer. In the 8 years since we last published a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, hundreds of new papers have appeared supporting this link, and in this update, the evidence on this topic is more extensive and of better quality than that previously available.

CONCLUSION

Increasing evidence from epidemiological studies, as well as a better understanding of mechanisms linking toxicants with development of breast cancer, all reinforce the conclusion that exposures to these substances - many of which are found in common, everyday products and byproducts - may lead to increased risk of developing breast cancer. Moving forward, attention to methodological limitations, especially in relevant epidemiological and animal models, will need to be addressed to allow clearer and more direct connections to be evaluated.

Efficacy of activated diatomaceous clay in reducing the toxicity of zearalenone in rats and piglets

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of an activated diatomaceous clay (ADC) in reducing the toxic effects of zearalenone (ZEA) in the diet of rats and piglets. In the rat experiment, 90 Sprague-Dawley female weanling rats with an initial BW of 45 ± 1.0 g were assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments for 28 d in a completely randomized design (CRD) with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (0 or 6 mg ZEA/kg feed and 0, 1, and 5 g ADC/kg feed). In the piglet experiment, 64 female piglets ([Large White × Landrace] × Pietrain with an initial BW of 14.9 ± 1.65 kg) were fed 1 of 8 experimental diets for 26 d in a CRD design with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement (0 or 0.8 mg ZEA/kg feed and 0, 1, 2, and 5 g ADC/kg feed). The ADFI, ADG, and G:F were determined at the end of each experiment. At the conclusion of studies, serum samples were collected and rats and piglets were euthanized to determine visceral organ weights. The diet contaminated with ZEA did not alter the growth of rats and the relative weight of liver and kidneys. However, ZEA increased ( < 0.05) the relative weight of uterus, ovaries, and spleen and decreased ( < 0.05) the serum activities of alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase compared to the control group. Supplementation of ADC in the rat diets counteracted ( < 0.05) the observed toxic effects of ZEA on the uterus and ovaries weight. The diet contaminated with ZEA (0.8 mg/kg feed) increased ( < 0.05) the weight of the uterus and ovaries in piglets but did not modify the serum biochemical variables or the relative weight of other visceral organs. The addition of 5 g ADC/kg to the contaminated feed reduced the toxic effects of ZEA on uterus and ovary weights to that of the control group. Zearalenone (10.5 μg/kg bile) and α-zearalenol (5.6 μg/kg bile) residues were detected in the bile of piglets fed the ZEA treatment. Supplementation of ADC to diets contaminated with ZEA reduced ( = 0.001) ZEA content in bile compared to the ZEA treatments. The results of these experiments indicate that a long-term consumption of ZEA-contaminated diets stimulated growth of the reproductive tract in rats and piglets and the presence of ZEA residue in bile in piglets. These effects may be counteracted by the addition of ADC to the diet.

Biotransformation of zearalenone and zearalenols to their major glucuronide metabolites reduces estrogenic activity

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi. Once ingested, ZEN may be absorbed and metabolised to α- and β-zearalenol (α-ZOL, β-ZOL), and to a lesser extent α- and β-zearalanol (α-ZAL, β-ZAL). Further biotransformation to glucuronide conjugates also occurs to facilitate the elimination of these toxins from the body. Unlike ZEN and its metabolites, information regarding the estrogenic activity of these glucuronide conjugates in various tissues is lacking. ZEN-14-O-glucuronide, α-ZOL-14-O-glucuronide, α-ZOL-7-O-glucuronide, β-ZOL-14-O-glucuronide and β-ZOL-16-O-glucuronide, previously obtained as the major products from preparative enzymatic synthesis, were investigated for their potential to cause endocrine disruption through interference with estrogen receptor transcriptional activity. All five glucuronide conjugates showed a very weak agonist response in an estrogen responsive reporter gene assay (RGA), with activity ranging from 0.0001% to 0.01% of that of 17β-estradiol, and also less than that of ZEN, α-ZOL and β-ZOL which have previously shown estrogenic potencies of the order 17β-estradiol>α-ZOL>ZEN>β-ZOL. Confirmatory mass spectrometry revealed that any activity observed was likely a result of minor deconjugation of the glucuronide moiety. This study confirms that formation of ZEN and ZOL glucuronides is a detoxification reaction with regard to estrogenicity, serving as a potential host defence mechanism against ZEN-induced estrogenic activity.

Metabolism of modified mycotoxins studied through in vitro and in vivo models: an overview

Mycotoxins are toxic, secondary metabolites produced by fungi. They occur in a wide variety of food and feed commodities, and are of major public health concern because they are the most hazardous of all food and feed contaminants in terms of chronic toxicity. In the past decades, it has become clear that in mycotoxin-contaminated commodities, many structurally related compounds generated by plant metabolism, fungi or food processing coexist with their free mycotoxins, defined as modified mycotoxins. These modified xenobiotics might endanger animal and human health as they are possibly hydrolysed into their free toxins in the digestive tract of mammals, and may consequently contribute to an unexpected high toxicity. As modified toxins represent an emerging issue, it is not a surprise that for most toxicological tests data are scarce to non-existent. Therefore, there is a need to elucidate the disposition and kinetics of both free and modified mycotoxins in mammals to correctly interpret occurrence data and biomonitoring results. This review emphasizes the current knowledge on the metabolism of modified mycotoxins using in vitro and in vivo models.

Human exposure to mycotoxins and their masked forms through cereal-based foods in Belgium

In the present study, a quantitative dietary exposure assessment of mycotoxins and their masked forms was conducted on a national representative sample of the Belgian population using the contamination data of cereal-based foods. Cereal-based food products (n=174) were analysed for the occurrence of deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, T-2-toxin, HT-2-toxin, and their respective masked forms, including, deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, zearalenone-4-glucoside, α-zearalenol-4-glucoside, β-zearalenol-4-glucoside and zearalenone-4-sulfate. Fibre-enriched bread, bran-enriched bread, breakfast cereals, popcorn and oatmeal were collected in Belgian supermarkets according to a structured sampling plan and analysed during the period from April 2010 to October 2011. The habitual intake of these food groups was estimated from a national representative food intake survey. According to a probabilistic exposure analysis, the mean (and P95) mycotoxin intake for the sum of the deoxynivalenol-equivalents, zearalenone-equivalents, and the sum of HT-2-and T-2-toxin for all cereal-based foods was 0.1162 (0.4047, P95), 0.0447 (0.1568, P95) and 0.0258 (0.0924, P95) μg kg(-1)body weight day(-1), respectively. These values were below the tolerable daily intake (TDI) levels for deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxin (1.0, 0.25 and 0.1 μg kg(-1)body weight day(-1), respectively). The absolute level exceeding the TDI for all cereal-based foods was calculated, and recorded 0.85%, 2.75% and 4.11% of the Belgian population, respectively.

Simultaneous determination of masked forms of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone after oral dosing in rats by LC-MS/MS

In vivo metabolism of masked or conjugated mycotoxins is poorly documented as standards are not commercially available and indirect analysis using hydrolytic enzymes is difficult to validate and cumbersome. We synthesised zearalenone-14-glucoside (ZEA-14G) chemically. Deoxynivalenol-3-glucuronide (DON-3GlcA) and glucuronides of 3- and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3- and 15-ADON-GlcAs), de-epoxydeoxynivalenol, zearalenone (ZEA), α- and β-zearalenol (α- and β-ZOL) were synthesised using rat microsomes. For the first time three ADON-GlcAs were synthesised: two 3-ADON-GlcAs and one 15-ADON-GlcA. After purification, the masked mycotoxin and the metabolites were characterised by NMR (DON-3GlcA, ZEA-14G) or by full scan MS, MS/MS fragmentation, UV-spectra, β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase treatment. In a first experiment, rats were fed orally DON-3-glucoside (DON-3G) and ZEA-14G, together with 13C-DON and 13C-ZEA and were sacrificed after 55 minutes. A total of 21 masked metabolites, metabolites and parent mycotoxins were quantified in rat organs. Whereas DON-3G was hardly hydrolysed in the stomach, ZEA was clearly formed from ZEA-14G. In a second experiment, 3- and 15-ADON were given orally to rats. The acetylated forms of DON were hydrolysed in the stomach, in contrast to DON-3G. Rats can directly glucuronidate ADONs without deacetylation. Neither DOM, α- or β-ZOL nor their glucuronides could be quantified. Glucuronidated 3-ADON accumulated in the small intestines, together with DON-3GlcA in rats fed orally with 3- and 15-ADON. These differences in masked mycotoxins metabolism can be important in risk analysis of masked mycotoxins in food and feed.