This review summarizes the toxicological data on the effects of the mycotoxins zearalenone (ZON), its metabolites, and deoxynivalenol (DON) on different parameters relating to reproductive and non-reproductive organs in female pigs. In vivo, 22 mg ZON kg(-1) in the diet cause alterations in the reproductive tract of swine such as in the uterus, and affects follicular and embryo development. ZON and its metabolites have been shown to bind competitively to oestrogen receptors in an in vitro system. The feeding of pigs with a 9 mg DON kg(-1)-contaminated diet can act on protein synthesis, humoral and cellular immune response depending on dose, exposure and timing of functional immune assay, and affect liver and spleen cell structures. Beside these effects, reproductive alterations were observed in pigs, too. Both in vivo and in vitro exposure to DON decreased oocyte and embryo development. In vitro application of DON to uterine cells inhibits their proliferation rate and modulates the process of translation at a different molecular level when compared with the in vivo application. The histopathological results provide evidence of spleen and liver dysfunction in the absence of clinical signs, especially in pigs fed higher concentrations of Fusarium toxin-contaminated wheat. Prepuberal gilts react more sensitively to DON > ZON feeding compared with pregnant sows. In the liver, histopathological changes such as glycogen decrease and interlobular collagen uptake were only observed in prepuberal gilts, whereas enhancement of haemosiderin was found in both perpuberal gilts and pregnant sows. This review presents some of the current knowledge on the biological activities of ZON and DON in pig. Altogether, ZON affects reproduction of pigs most seriously because it possesses oestrogenic activity. However, DON affects reproduction in pigs via indirect effects such as reduced feed intake, resulting in reduced growth or impairment of function in vital organs such as liver and spleen.
A total of 36 gilts (103 +/- 6 kg) were divided into four groups and fed diets with increasing proportions of a Fusarium toxin contaminated wheat over a period of 35 days. The concentrations of the indicator toxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) which were analyzed by HPLC methods were 210 and 4, 3070 and 88, 6100 and 235 and 9570 and 358 mug.kg(-1) diet fed to groups 1-4 respectively. Feed was partially refused during the first 21 days of the experiment by groups 2, 3 and 4 where two, three and six out of nine gilts were affected. No signs of hyperestrogenism or uterotrophic effects were observed due to dietary treatments. Blood serum, urine, bile and liver were analyzed for residues of DON, ZON and their metabolites. DON and its de-epoxidized metabolite (de-epoxy-DON) were detected in all analyzed specimens and increased in a significantly linearly related fashion. Alpha-zearalenol (alpha-ZOL) and beta-ZOL could be detected besides the parent toxin ZON, but only in bile and urine. In conclusion, the impact of dietary treatments on the performance parameters was most pronounced in the highest exposed group. The maximum ratio between DON concentration in liver and diet was 0.0013, and suggests that a possible contamination of pig liver with DON is negligible and does not contribute significantly to human DON exposure.
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