Cytotoxic effects of individual and combined sterigmatocystin and nivalenol on liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract Since humans are exposed to different mycotoxins through daily intake, there is increasing concern about the adverse effects of the interactions between them. Cytotoxicity of sterigmatocystin (STE) and nivalenol (NIV) alone and in combination in human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Furthermore, ROS production and alteration of ΔΨm as mechanisms of action were assessed. Cells were treated with concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 5 μM for NIV and from 0.78 to 50 μM for STE individually and in binary combinations. The combination ratio between the mixture STE + NIV was 10:1. The IC50 values of NIV ranged from 0.96 to 0.66 μM, whereas no IC50 values were obta…