In vivo and in vitro effects of the mycotoxins zearalenone and deoxynivalenol on different non-reproductive and reproductive organs in female pigs

Ute Tiemann (1) , Sven Dänicke (2)

1 Reproductive Biology
2 Federal Agriculture Research Center (FAL)

The present paper summarizes the toxicological data on the effects of the mycotoxins zearalenone (ZON), its metabolites, and deoxynivalenol (DON) on different parameters relating to reproductive and non-reproductive organs in female pigs. In vivo 22 mg ZON kg-1 in the diet cause alterations in the reproductive tract of swine such as in the uterus, on the follicular and embryo development. ZON and its metabolites have been shown to competitively bind to estrogen receptors in an in vitro system. The feeding of pigs with 9 mg DON kg-1 diet contaminated diet can act on protein synthesis, humoral and cellular immune response depending on dose, exposure and timing of functional immune assay, and on liver and spleen cell structures. Beside these effects, reproductive alterations were observed in pigs, too. Both in vivo and in vitro exposure to DON decreased the oocyte and embryo development. In vitro application of DON to uterine cells inhibits their proliferation rate and modulates the process of translation at a different molecular level when compared with the in vivo application. The histopathological results provide evidence of spleen and liver dysfunction in the absence of clinical signs, especially in pigs fed higher concentrations of Fusarium toxin-contaminated wheat. Prepuberal gilts react more sensitively to DON>ZON feeding compared to pregnant sows. In the liver, histopathological changes such as glycogen decrease and interlobular collagen uptake were observed only observed in prepuberal gilts, whereas enhancement of haemosiderin was found in both perpuberal gilts and pregnant sows. This review presents some of the current knowledge on the biological activities of ZON and DON in pig. Altogether, ZON affects reproduction of pigs most seriously because it possesses estrogenic activity. Whereas DON affects reproduction in pigs via indirect effects such as reduced feed intake, resulting in reduced growth or impairment of function in vital organs like liver and spleen.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Ute Tiemann, Sven Dänicke. In vivo and in vitro effects of the mycotoxins zearalenone and deoxynivalenol on different non-reproductive and reproductive organs in female pigs. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2007, 24 (03), pp.306-314. ⟨10.1080/02652030601053626⟩. ⟨hal-00577519⟩