From the Gut to the Brain: Journey and Pathophysiological Effects of the Food-Associated Trichothecene Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol

Abstract

Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites contaminating food and causing toxicity to animals and humans. Among the various mycotoxins found in crops used for food and feed production, the trichothecene toxin deoxynivalenol (DON or vomitoxin) is one of the most prevalent and hazardous. In addition to native toxins, food also contains a large amount of plant and fungal derivatives of DON, including acetyl-DON (3 and 15ADON), glucoside-DON (D3G), and potentially animal derivatives such as glucuronide metabolites (D3 and D15GA) present in animal tissues (e.g., blood, muscle and liver tissue). The present review summarizes previous and very recent experimental data collected in vivo and in vitro regarding the transport, detoxification/metabolism and physiological impact of DON and its derivatives on intestinal, immune, endocrine and neurologic functions during their journey from the gut to the brain.

Preliminary survey on the co-occurrence of DON and T2+HT2 toxins in durum wheat in Italy

“…Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most common mycotoxin among the type B group of trichothecenes found at high concentration in cereals and mainly produced by F. graminearum and F. culmorum (Terzi et al 2007;Häller et al 2008;Miller 2008;Edwards 2009). The main features of DON on animals are constituted by an emetic effect (DON or "vomitoxin") and immunosuppressive effects also representing a risk for human health (SCF 2002;He et al 2010;Pestka and Smolinski 2005;Maresca 2013). T2 and HT2 toxins belong to the type A group of trichothecenes known as the most toxic members of this group of mycotoxins.…”

Fusarium mycotoxin contamination and co-occurrence in Slovak winter wheat grains

“…The mean concentration of DON achieved 368.4 µg kg -1 . Next to DON, there are other masked forms of DON, deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (D3G) or 3(15)-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3(15)-ADON), but changes among these forms are still insufficiently known (Maresca, 2013). Pazderu et al (2016) suggested high importance of evaluating not only DON, but all DON forms simultaneously.…”

Percent changes in mesenteric blood T-lymphocyte subsets in gilts induced by low-dose zearalenone-deoxynivalenol mycotoxin

“…Ponadto w dostępnym piśmien-nictwie brak jest informacji na temat wpływu ZEN czy DON na populacje limfocytów krwi krezkowej. Uwzględniając fakt największego wchłaniania mikotoksyn fuzaryjnych na obszarze jelita cienkiego (15) należy się spodziewać, że we krwi naczyń krezkowych można będzie uzyskać największą koncentrację omawianych związków. Ponadto należy zwrócić uwagę, iż we wspomnianych naczyniach płynie krew, która dopiero zostanie dostarczona do wątroby, czyli centralnego narządu metabolicznego, który odpowiada za procesy detoksykacji.…”