Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Research article2024Peer reviewedOpen access

Estrogenic, androgenic, and genotoxic activities of zearalenone and deoxynivalenol in in vitro bioassays including exogenous metabolic activation

Yu, Maria; Oskarsson, Agneta; Alexander, Jan; Lundqvist, Johan

Abstract

Zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) and their derivatives are well-known mycotoxins, which can occur not only in crops but also in water bodies, including drinking water sources. In vitro bioassays can be used to detect biological effects of hazardous compounds in water. To this, when studying biological effects and toxicity in vitro, metabolism is important to consider. In this study, ZEN, alpha-zearalenol (alpha-ZEL), DON, 3-acetyl DON, and 15-acetyl DON were evaluated in vitro for hormone receptor-mediated effects (estrogen receptor [ER] and androgen receptor [AR]) and genotoxicity (micronucleus assay) in the presence of an exogenous metabolic activation system (MAS). The ER bioassay proved to be a highly sensitive method to detect low concentrations of the ZEN compounds (EC(10 )values of 31.4 pM for ZEN, 3.59 pM for alpha-ZEL) in aqueous solutions. In the presence of the MAS, reduced estrogenic effects were observed for both ZEN compounds (EC10 values of 6.47 x 10(3) pM for ZEN, 1.55 x 10(2) pM for alpha-ZEL). Of the DON compounds, only 3-acetyl DON was estrogenic (EC10 of 0.31 mu M), and the effect was removed in the presence of the MAS. Anti-androgenic effects of the ZEN compounds and androgenic effects of the DON compounds were detected in the micromolar range. No induction of genotoxicity was detected for ZEN or DON in the presence of the MAS. Our study highlighted that inclusion of exogenous MAS is a useful tool to detect biological effects of metabolites in in vitro bioassays.

Keywords

Deoxynivalenol; Effect-based methods; Endocrine receptors; In vitro bioassays; Metabolism; Micronuclei formation; Zearalenone

Published in

Mycotoxin Research
2024,
Publisher: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG