Kinetics and metabolism of zearalenone in young female pigs

Abstract

The fate of a single bolus of the Fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone (ZON) given intravenously to pigs was followed up. Pigs were equipped with duodenal re-entrant cannulas, post-valvular T-shape cannulas and with a urinary bladder balloon catheter. The animals were divided into three groups. Pigs of the control group were injected with ZON (Co), and pigs of the second group were also injected with ZON but their duodenal digesta was quantitatively exchanged for 12 h with corresponding pigs of the third group, not injected with ZON. Therefore, the second group had a disrupted entero-hepatic cycling of ZON (DEHC) and the third one had an induced entero-hepatic cycling of ZON (IEHC). The kinetic profile of ZON and its metabolites in plasma and their flow with urine, duodenal and ileal digesta and with faeces was examined over the next 72 h after the bolus was given. Eleven days later, pigs were slaughtered for collection of bile, urine and liver to analyse ZON residues. In all specimens examined, alpha-zearalenol (ZOL) was detected as the only metabolite of ZON. Kinetic evaluation of the plasma data revealed that the terminal elimination half-life of ZON was reduced from 2.63 h in pigs of Co-group to 1.1 h when EHC of ZON was disrupted for 12 h (DEHC-group). The maximum ZON concentration in plasma of pigs with the IEHC was found at 2.73 h after the bolus was given to their counterparts. The percentage of the alpha-ZOL- and ZON-area under the curves (AUC) estimated for the IEHC-group amounted to approximately 18% of the corresponding AUC of the Co-group which would suggest that a substantial proportion of both substances are re-cycled via entero-hepatic re-circulation. Cumulative recovery of ZON and alpha-ZOL, expressed as percentage of the ZON-bolus was characterized by a saturation kinetics in urine and duodenal digesta, and after 72 h, the respective values for Co-, DEH-, and IEHC-groups were 70%, 55% and 12%; and 35%, 22% and 11%. Faecal excretion started to increase steeply after 48 h and still continued to increase after 72 h when the cumulative excretion was 6%, 3% and 2% for Co-, DEHC- and IEHC-groups respectively. Fourteen days after the bolus injection, ZON and alpha-ZOL concentrations in bile, liver and urine were lower than the detection limits of the applied method. The results would suggest that within this period of time a massive single bolus of ZON is nearly completely eliminated from the body.

On the effects of graded levels of Fusarium toxin contaminated wheat in diets for gilts on feed intake, growth performance and metabolism of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone

“…7). The latter undergoes an intensive enterohepatic cycling [29,30] and its metabolites accumulate in the bile. Bile concentrations of these metabolites were shown to be linearly related to the ZON concentration of piglet diets [31].…”

“…Bile concentrations of these metabolites were shown to be linearly related to the ZON concentration of piglet diets [31]. Moreover, the concentration of ZON metabolites in bile was approximately twofold to eightfold higher than the respective concentrations in urine although the majority of ZON metabolites is excreted quantitatively via urine [29,30]. That no ZON residues were detected in serum of the gilts is consistent with the findings of Döll et al [31] who were not able to detect ZON metabolites in serum of piglet fed diets up to a ZON concentration of 420 lg N kg -1…”

Zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin B1 and their metabolites in pig urine as biomarkers for mycotoxin exposure

“…In a dose-response study conducted by Döll et al (2003), ZEA and αZOL in pooled urine samples were found to vary with increased levels of ZEA in the diet. Also, in the study of Dänicke et al (2005a) with graded fusariumtoxins to pigs, a significant linear increase in ZEA and αZOL concentrations in bile and urine were found due to increased dietary ZEA levels.…”

“…Similar results have also been found in more recent studies (Eriksen et al 2003;Dänicke et al 2004a,b) when analyzing pig urine for DON and DeepoxyDON after DON or 3acetylDON consumption. About 40-60% of DON in urine is glucuronide conjugated (Eriksen et al 2003;Dänicke et al 2005a). The amount of DeepoxyDON in urine is normally only about 2-5% of the DON in urine, and 1-5% of the DON intake (Dänicke et al 2004a, b, c;.…”

Effects of Modified Maifanite on Zearalenone Toxicity in Female Weaner Pigs

“…Studies have showed that pathologic changes appeared in pigs exposed to 0.42~1.3 mg ZEN/kg diet (Döll et al, 2004;Teixeira et al, 2011;Jiang et al, 2010a). Zearalenone is metabolized in various tissues, with the major metabolites being α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol (Dänicke et al, 2005;Malekinejad et al, 2005).…”