Analysis of the interactions between environmental and food contaminants, cadmium and deoxynivalenol, in different target organs

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd), a common and widespread toxic heavy metal, and mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) are frequent contaminants of the food supply. Most of the data on their toxicity concern their effects when present alone. However, consumers can be exposed to a cocktail of DON and Cd. To improve the understanding of their combined toxicity, the effects of DON and Cd alone or in combination were investigated in different human cell lines from the kidney (HEK-293), intestine (Caco-2), blood (HL-60) and liver (HepG2). Cytotoxicity was assessed through ATP measurement and types of interactions determined by the Isobologram-Combination index method. HEK-293 cells were exposed to increasing doses of DON, Cd and their combination at different ratios (DON/Cd of 2/1; 1/1; 1/2 and 1/8). Regardless of the ratio, the type of interaction observed in HEK-293 cells ranged from moderate antagonism to nearly additive with increasing cytotoxicity. In Caco-2 cells, the interactions ranged from nearly additive to antagonism whatever the ratio. At ratio 1/1, in HL-60 and HepG2 cells, interactions ranged from synergy to antagonism depending on the cytotoxicity level. Using human cells lines, this study indicates that the consequences of combined exposure to environmental and food contaminants are specific to the target organ. Further studies are needed to confirm these data in vivo.

Aflatoxin B1 and Aflatoxin M1 Induce Compromised Intestinal Integrity through Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis

“…Reduced jejunal crypt depth and occludin expression were observed in rats exposed to a mixture of deoxynivalenol (DON, 8.2 mg/kg feed) and cadmium (Cd, 5 mg/L water) [ 69 ]. This combination exerted additive and antagonistic effects in decreasing Caco-2 cell viability [ 70 ]. Further studies could be devoted to the effects of these frequently co-occurring chemical contaminants in the human food chain, which could more closely reflect the potential risk for key human intestinal functions.…”

Baicalin–Zinc Complex Alleviates Inflammatory Responses and Hormone Profiles by Microbiome in Deoxynivalenol Induced Piglets

“…At the same time, the Duncan's test was used to analyze the significant difference, and the criterion for significance judgment was p < 0.05. The GraphPad Prism Software (Version 7; La Jolla, CA, USA) was used to draw the figures, and the column shows mean ± SEM (42)(43)(44).…”

Las micotoxinas: el enemigo silencioso

“…Esta contaminación múltiple puede modificar fuertemente los efectos tóxicos de algunos de los contaminantes, lo que resulta en una variedad de efectos interactivos, como lo demuestra la exposición simul-tánea de células Caco-2 y células de riñón HEK-293 a cadmio y DON (Le, Alassane-Kpembi, Oswald y Pinton, 2017). La evaluación toxicológica de combinaciones de micotoxinas para la caracterización de interacciones potenciales es un campo de investigación emergente y muy activo.…”