Impact of Human Metabolism on the Toxicological Effects of Mycotoxins

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2017) | Viewed by 22154

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: characterization of masked mycotoxins; catabolic fate and toxicological relevance of parent and conjugate mycotoxins in humans; profiling of bioactive compounds in plant-derived food; mass spectrometry based methods for the profiling of bioactive compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins in food and feed represents worldwide a severe threat for public health and animal welfare, and poses relevant challenges in the food toxicology field.

Regulated mycotoxins represent the minority of those potentially entering the food chain. Fungal infection in the field and upon storage may lead to the accumulation of different mycotoxins in crops, whose amount and distribution may be affected by food processing. Studies performed over the last decade clearly showed that the number and diversity of mycotoxins to which consumers are potentially exposed, is even more increased by plant metabolism.

After ingestion, mycotoxins and their modified forms are released from food matrices by the digestion process itself, before being absorbed and distributed. In the liver, but also in the gastrointestinal tract and in other tissues, mycotoxins undergo phase-I and phase-II metabolism before being excreted. Such metabolic modification may drastically change the toxicity of parental compounds, acting as a deactivation and/or a bioactivation. Although, over the years, the scientific community has made enormous steps forwards in the identification of mycotoxins and their metabolic fate, there is an urgent need of a deeper understanding of the modes of action of regulated and emerging mycotoxins according to the ADMEtox approach. In this context, the assessment of metabolome may reveal to what extent the metabolic transformations affect the toxicodynamic of parental mycotoxins, identifying which modifications prevent the interaction with biological targets.

The focus of this Special Issue of Toxins will be on the most recent advances related to the human metabolism of mycotoxins. Recent advances in metabolomics and biomarker validation will be addressed. The use of omics techniques will also be encouraged in this context. Finally, an overview of some selected promising tools (i.e., non-animal testing methods, predictive toxicology, in vitro methodologies for combined toxic effects) that are potentially able to address the forthcoming challenges in this field will be included. Both research (in particular) and review articles proposing novelties or overviews, respectively, are welcome.

Prof. Chiara Dall'Asta

Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Xenobiotics;

  • mode of action;

  • food safety;

  • risk assessment;

  • chemical mixture;

  • biotransformation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2230 KiB  
Article
Effects of Zearalenone Exposure on the TGF-β1/Smad3 Signaling Pathway and the Expression of Proliferation or Apoptosis Related Genes of Post-Weaning Gilts
by Min Zhou, Lijie Yang, Minghui Shao, Yuxi Wang, Weiren Yang, Libo Huang, Xuemei Zhou, Shuzhen Jiang and Zaibin Yang
Toxins 2018, 10(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins10020049 - 23 Jan 2018
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5322
Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogenic toxin produced by Fusarium species, which is widely distributed and posed a great health risk to both humans and farm animals. Reproductive disorders associated with ZEA such as premature puberty, infertility and abortion have plagued the animal husbandry, [...] Read more.
Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogenic toxin produced by Fusarium species, which is widely distributed and posed a great health risk to both humans and farm animals. Reproductive disorders associated with ZEA such as premature puberty, infertility and abortion have plagued the animal husbandry, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. Because transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway is involved in the proliferation and apoptosis of cells, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (BCL-2) and BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX) that all play indispensable roles in the normal development of the uterus, it is hypothesized that ZEA induces reproductive disorders is closely related to the expression of these genes. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of dietary ZEA at the concentrations of 0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg on the mRNA and protein expression of these genes in the uteri of post-weaning gilts and to explore the possible molecular mechanism. Forty healthy post-weaning female piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Large White) aged 38 d were randomly allocated to basal diet supplemented with 0 (Control), 0.5 (ZEA0.5), 1.0 (ZEA1.0), or 1.5 (ZEA1.5) mg/kg purified ZEA, and fed for 35 d. Piglets were euthanized at the end of the experiment and samples were taken and subjected to immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses. The relative mRNA expressions of PCNA, BCL-2 and Smad3 in the uteri of post-weaning gilts increased linearly (p < 0.05) and quadratically (p < 0.05) as ZEA concentration increased in the diet. The relative protein expressions of PCNA, BAX, BCL-2, TGF-β1, Smad3, and phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3) in the uteri of post-weaning gilts increased linearly (p < 0.05) and quadratically (p < 0.001) with an increasing level of ZEA. The results showed that uterine cells in the ZEA (0.5–1.5 mg/kg) treatments were in a high proliferation state, indicating that ZEA could accelerate the proliferation of uteri and promote the development of the uteri. At the same time, the results suggested that ZEA activates the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, suggesting it plays an important role in accelerating the development of the uterus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Human Metabolism on the Toxicological Effects of Mycotoxins)
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2471 KiB  
Article
Impact of a Single Oral Acute Dose of Aflatoxin B1 on Liver Function/Cytokines and the Lymphoproliferative Response in C57Bl/6 Mice
by Angélica Tieme Ishikawa, Elisa Yoko Hirooka, Paula Leonello Alvares e Silva, Ana Paula Frederico Rodrigues Loureiro Bracarense, Karina Keller Marques da Costa Flaiban, Claudia Yuri Akagi, Osamu Kawamura, Marcio Carvalho da Costa and Eiko Nakagawa Itano
Toxins 2017, 9(11), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins9110374 - 17 Nov 2017
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 6373
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin found in food and feed, exerts harmful effects on humans and animals. The liver is the earliest target of AFB1, and its effects have been evaluated in animal models exposed to acute or [...] Read more.
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin found in food and feed, exerts harmful effects on humans and animals. The liver is the earliest target of AFB1, and its effects have been evaluated in animal models exposed to acute or chronic doses. Considering the possibility of sporadic ingestion of AFB1-contaminated food, this study investigated the impact of a single oral dose of AFB1 on liver function/cytokines and the lymphoproliferative response in mice. C57BL/6 mice were treated with a single oral AFB1 dose (44, 442 or 663 μg AFB1/kg of body weight) on the first day. Liver function (ALT, γ-GT, and total protein), cytokines (IL-4, IFN-γ, and IL-17), histopathology, and the spleen lymphoproliferative response to mitogens were evaluated on the 5th day. Although AFB1 did not produce any significant changes in the biochemical parameters, 663 μg AFB1/kg-induced hepatic upregulation of IL-4 and IFN-γ, along with liver tissue injury and suppression of the lymphoproliferative response to ConA (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a single oral dose of AFB1 exposure can induce liver tissue lesions, liver cytokine modulation, and immune suppression in C57BL/6 mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Human Metabolism on the Toxicological Effects of Mycotoxins)
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539 KiB  
Article
Deoxynivalenol Biomarkers in the Urine of UK Vegetarians
by Liz Wells, Laura Hardie, Courtney Williams, Kay White, Yunru Liu, Barbara De Santis, Francesca Debegnach, Georgio Moretti, Stephanie Greetham, Carlo Brera, Maria Papageorgiou, Natalie J. Thatcher, Alan Rigby, Stephen L. Atkin and Thozhukat Sathyapalan
Toxins 2017, 9(7), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins9070196 - 22 Jun 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5100
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is produced by Fusarium graminearum and is one of the most commonly occurring trichothecenes. Vegetarians are alleged to be a high-risk group for DON exposure due to high intakes of cereals susceptible to the growth of the mycotoxin. This study provides [...] Read more.
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is produced by Fusarium graminearum and is one of the most commonly occurring trichothecenes. Vegetarians are alleged to be a high-risk group for DON exposure due to high intakes of cereals susceptible to the growth of the mycotoxin. This study provides the levels of DON and de-epoxi Deoxynivalenol (DOM-1) in urine analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in UK vegetarians. Over two consecutive days, morning urine samples were collected from 32 vegetarians and 31 UK adult volunteers, and associated food consumption 24 h prior to the sample was recorded. Statistically significant differences between the weight of the UK adults and vegetarians (t = 3.15. df = 61, p ≤ 0.005 two-tailed) were observed. The mean levels of DON in urine for adults on day 1 was 3.05 ng free DON/mg creatinine, and on day 2 was 2.98 ng free DON/mg creatinine. Even though high mean levels were observed, most adults were within the tolerable daily intake. However, for vegetarians, the mean level of urinary DON on day 1 was 6.69 ng free DON/mg creatinine, and on day 2 was 3.42 ng free DON/mg creatinine. These levels equate to up to 32% of vegetarians exceeding recommended tolerable daily intakes (TDI) of exposure (1 µg/kg b.w./day). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Human Metabolism on the Toxicological Effects of Mycotoxins)
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1662 KiB  
Article
Diabetogenic Effects of Ochratoxin A in Female Rats
by Firdevs Mor, Omur Sengul, Senay Topsakal, Mehmet Akif Kilic and Ozlem Ozmen
Toxins 2017, 9(4), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins9040144 - 19 Apr 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4740
Abstract
In this study, the diabetogenic effects of long term Ochratoxin A (OTA) administration in rats were investigated, and its role in the etiology of diabetes mellitus (DM) was examined utilizing 42 female Wistar rats for these purposes. The rats were divided into three [...] Read more.
In this study, the diabetogenic effects of long term Ochratoxin A (OTA) administration in rats were investigated, and its role in the etiology of diabetes mellitus (DM) was examined utilizing 42 female Wistar rats for these purposes. The rats were divided into three different study and control groups according to the duration of the OTA administration. The rats received 45 μg OTA daily in their feed for 6, 9 and 24 weeks, respectively. Three control groups were also used for the same time periods. Blood and pancreatic tissue samples were collected during the necropsy at the end of the 6, 9 and 24 weeks. The plasma values of insulin, glucagon and glucose were determined for the study and control groups. Pancreatic lesions were evaluated via histopathological examination and insulin and glucagon expression in these lesions was subsequently determined using immunohistochemical methods. Statistically significant decreases in insulin levels were observed, in contrast to increases in blood glucagon and glucose levels. Histopathological examinations revealed slight to moderate degeneration in Langerhans islet cells in all OTA-treated groups. Immunohistochemistry of pancreatic tissue revealed decreased insulin and increased glucagon expression. This study demonstrated that OTA may cause pancreatic damage in the Langerhans islet and predispose rats to DM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Human Metabolism on the Toxicological Effects of Mycotoxins)
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