0000000000066530
AUTHOR
Elena Tatay
Estrogenic activity of zearalenone, α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol assessed using the E-Screen assay in MCF-7 cells
Mycotoxins, including zearalenone (ZEA), can occur worldwide in cereals. They can enter the food chain and cause several health disorders. ZEA and its derivatives (α-zearalenol, α-ZOL and β-zearalenol, β-ZOL) have structural analogy to estrogen, thus they can bind to estrogen receptors (ERs). In order to characterize the estrogenic activity of ZEA, α-ZOL and β-ZOL, the proliferation of ER-positive human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) exposed to these mycotoxins was measured. After exposure at levels ranging from 6.25 to 25 µM, cell proliferation was evaluated by using the E-Screen bioassay. In accordance with previous studies, our results show the estrogenic activity of ZEA, α-ZOL and β-ZOL in…
Oxidative damage and disturbance of antioxidant capacity by zearalenone and its metabolites in human cells.
Mycotoxin contamination of foods and feeds represent a serious problem worldwide. Zearalenone (ZEA) is a secondary metabolite produced by Fusarium species. This study explores oxidative cellular damage and intracellular defense mechanisms (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) in the hepatoma cell line HepG2 after exposure to ZEA and its metabolites (α-zearalenol, α-ZOL; β-zearalenol, β-ZOL). Our results demonstrated that HepG2 cells exposed to ZEA, α-ZOL or β-ZOL at different concentrations (0, 6.25, 12.5 and 25μM) showed: (i) elevated ROS levels (1.5- to 7-fold) based on the formation of the highly fluorescent 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF), (ii) increased DNA damage measured by the comet assay (…
Interactive effects of zearalenone and its metabolites on cytotoxicity and metabolization in ovarian CHO-K1 cells.
Zearalenone (ZEA) is a non-steroidal estrogen mycotoxin with high binding affinity to estrogen receptors. ZEA is rapidly absorbed and metabolized in vivo to α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZOL). So, mixtures of them may be present in biological systems and suppose a hazard to animals and human health. The aims of this study were to determine the cytotoxic effects of ZEA and its metabolites, alone and in combination in ovarian (CHO-K1) cells during 24, 48 and 72h by the MTT assay; and to investigate the metabolism of the CHO-K1 cells on ZEA, and its conversion into α-ZOL and β-ZOL by CHO-K1 cell after 24 and 48h of exposure. The IC50 value obtained for individual mycotoxins range fr…
Cytotoxic effects of zearalenone and its metabolites and antioxidant cell defense in CHO-K1 cells.
Zearalenone (ZEA) and its metabolites (α-zearalenol; α-ZOL, β-zearalenol; β-ZOL) are secondary metabolites of Fusarium fungi that produce cell injury. The present study explores mycotoxin-induced cell damage and cellular protection mechanisms in CHO-K1 cells. Cytotoxicity has been determined by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA damage. ROS production was determined using the fluorescein assay and DNA strand breakage by comet assay. Intracellular protection systems were glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The results demonstrated that all mycotoxins increased the ROS levels up to 5.3-fold the control levels in CHO-K1 …