engleski

Toxic effects of co-exposure to mycotoxins

Humans and animals are constantly exposed to mycotoxins mostly through the ingestion of contaminated food and feed, although other ways of exposure are also possible. Food is usually contaminated with several mycotoxins due to co- contamination by various molds but also because some mold strains may produce various mycotoxins under modified conditions of growth. There are about 400 known mycotoxins that, using very sensitive methods, can be found in food and feed, but only some have been found to have a toxic effect in mammals. Unfortunately, even fewer have known toxicokinetics and mechanisms of toxicity. The mechanisms of toxicity of mycotoxins are rarely studied on experimental animals, while the results of in vitro studies on cell cultures are often contradictory. In the available literature on the effect of co-exposure to mycotoxins either in experimental animals or in in vitro studies, many different end-points were measured which creates difficulties in the interpretation of the results. In animals these were changes in body weight, parameters of kidney, liver and immune system lesions, diuresis, activity of plasma, organs and urine enzymes, teratogenicity and mortality rate. In various cell cultures, cell viability, reactive oxygen species production, apoptosis and parameters of oxidative stress were measured. It was found that the same combinations of mycotoxins may have an antagonistic, additive or synergistic effect, depending on the dose of mycotoxins. Although some mycotoxins in combination with others have always had a clear antagonistic effect at any tested dose, the best protection against them is the prevention of their overall appearance.

additive effect, antagonism, mycotoxins, synergism, toxicity

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