The study aimed to investigate toxicity and the mechanism of toxicity of two
mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA). DON and ZEA were applied to HepG2 cells as single compounds and in ...combination at low environmentally relevant concentrations. HepG2 cells were exposed to DON (0.5, 1, and 2 µM), ZEA (5, 10, and 20 µM) or their combinations (1 µM DON + 5 µM ZEA, 1 µM DON + 10 µM ZEA and 1 µM DON + 20 µM ZEA) for 24 h and cell viability, DNA damage, cell cycle and proliferation were assessed. Both mycotoxins reduced cell viability, however, combined treatment with DON and ZEA resulted in higher reduction of cell viability. DON (1 µM) induced primary DNA damage, while DON (1 µM) in combination with higher ZEA concentrations showed antagonistic effects compared to DON alone at 1 µM. DON arrested HepG2 cells in G2 phase and significantly inhibited cell proliferation, while ZEA had no significant effect on cell cycle. The combined treatment with DON and ZEA arrested cells in G2 phase to a higher extend compared to treatment with single mycotoxins. Potentiating effect observed after DON and ZEA co-exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations indicates that in risk assessment and setting governments' regulations, mixtures of mycotoxins should be considered.
Polyphenols of Laurel and Myrtle exhibit structural diversity, which affects bioavailability, metabolism, and bioactivity. The gut microbiota plays a key role in modulating the production, ...bioavailability and, thus the biological activities of phenolic metabolites, particularly after the intake of food containing high-molecular-weight polyphenols. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polyphenolic components of Laurel and Myrtle aqueous extract have beneficial effects on rat health. The growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), β-glucuronidase, β-glucosidase, β-galactosidase activity, pH value, body weight change and food efficacy ratio after intragastric treatment of rats with Laurel and Myrtle extract at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for two weeks were investigated. The endogenous populations of colonic probiotic bacteria (Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) were counted on selective media. According to the obtained data, Laurel extract in the applied dose of 50 and 100 and Myrtle extract (100 mg/kg) positively affects the rats health by increasing the number of colonies of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria compared to the control group, causes changes in glycolytic enzymatic activity and minor change in antioxidative tissue activity. In addition, high doses of Laurel increase food efficiency ratio, while Myrtle has the same effect at a lower dose.
This study of incidence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) was performed on the maize (Zea mays) harvested in Croatia after a growth period characterized with extremely high rainfall and ...low temperatures. A total of 40 maize samples were collected during harvesting in October 2010 at different maize fields located in the north, central and eastern part of Croatia. Determination of DON and ZEA concentrations was done by simultaneous use of two methods, ELISA/TLC and ELISA/HPLC, for DON and ZEA, respectively. The DON was detected in 85% samples with the maximum concentration of 17.92 mg/kg, while ZEA was detected in 87.5% samples with the maximum concentration of 5.11 mg/kg. Detected high concentrations of DON and ZEA in our research could be explained with the high humidity and significantly low temperatures in the period of growth that might have lead to increased contamination of maize with Fusarium moulds and production of its secondary metabolites.
► Study of incidence of DON and ZEA was performed on the maize harvested in Croatia. ► Determination was done by simultaneous use of ELISA/TLC and ELISA/HPLC method. ► DON was detected in 85% while ZEA in 87.5% samples. ► Results pointed to high contamination of maize. ► It might be consequence of high humidity and low temperatures during maize growth.
Fumonisins are a group of closely related mycotoxins produced by Fusarium, Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus species. Their occurrence is correlated with various factors during growth, processing ...and storage. Fumonisins occurrence data in the literature mainly include the B group of fumonisins (FB1 & FB2) in raw materials, showing high frequency of positive samples in a wide range of concentrations. In this study, a total of 933 grains (63.7%) and poultry feed (36.3%) samples, collected in the 16-year period (2006–2021), were analysed with commercial enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay for detection of three fumonisins (FB1, FB2 & FB3). All positive and suspect samples were confirmed with high-performance-liquid-chromatography method with fluorescence detection. Overall, we have determined high occurrence of FBs in grains and poultry feed in all tested years, while the lowest occurrence was determined in 2019, followed by 2009 and 2008. Although, contamination levels varied from year-to-year, majority of analyzed samples in all tested years were around 1 mg/kg, while the maximum values varied from 3 mg/kg to 22.23 mg/kg. This study highlights the importance of regular monitoring of raw materials and understanding of the fate of FBs in the food chain in order to avoid undesirable health effects in animals and accompanied economic losses.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dried
L. leaves as a phytogenic mixture added to broiler feed on CD4
and CD8
T lymphocyte subpopulations, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antibody ...titres, and the presence of
in faecal samples. The study was conducted on 100 male Ross 308 broilers, divided into four groups of 25 broilers, for a 42-day research period. The groups were housed separately in boxes on a litter of softwood shavings and were fed starter mixture from day 1 to day 21 and finisher mixture from day 22 to day 42. Industrial hemp (
) was grown in the Crkvina area, Croatia (latitude: 45°18'46.8″ N; longitude: 15°31'30″ E). The hemp leaves were manually separated, sun-dried, and ground to a powder. The mixture offered to the control group did not contain cannabis leaves, whereas the three experimental groups received mixtures containing mixed cannabis leaves in a quantity of 10 g/kg, 20 g/kg, or 30 g/kg (E_10, E_20, and E_30, respectively). The mean NDV antibody level was uniform in all study groups until post-vaccination day 14 and increased comparably with time. The percentage of CD4
and CD8
lymphocytes in the peripheral blood subpopulation showed statistically significant differences (
< 0.001) in the E_20 group as compared with the control group and both the E_10 and E_30 groups throughout the study period. As the broiler age increased, the CD4
-to-CD8
ratios also increased and were statistically significant (
< 0.0001) on day 42 in all experimental groups as compared to the control group. Comparing the control group with the experimental groups indicated that the bacterial count was lower in broiler groups having received feed with the addition of 20 g/kg and 30 g/kg
leaves. In conclusion, the
leaves were found to elicit a favourable immunomodulatory effect on cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in broilers via increased CD4
and CD8
lymphocyte subpopulations and higher CD4
:CD8
cell ratios, thus indicating enhanced immune function capacity. In addition,
leaves may have complementary effects on the broiler post-vaccination immune response, increase broilers' resistance to infectious diseases, reduce the effect of stress associated with vaccination, and improve broiler health and welfare.
A survey on prevalence and number of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia (E.) coli (STEC) in animal feed was carried out over a period of nine years in the Republic of Croatia. A total of 1688 feed ...samples were collected from feed factories and poultry farms. Analysis included two standard procedures: sample enrichment and (a) immunomagnetic separation and plating on two selective media; or (b) plating on two selective media. Confirmation of STEC included morphological examination, biochemical tests, serotyping, and polymerase chain reaction. Morphological and biochemical characterization revealed 629 E. coli strains. Further serological screening method revealed 78 STEC and EPEC serotypes, while only 27 strains were confirmed as STEC with PCR. All positive samples (1.6%) originated from poultry farms and contained combination of virulence genes: eaeA, stx1, and/or stx2. Since the presence of stx (especially stx2) and eae are identified as risk factors for development of severe diseases in humans, results of this survey indicate that avian sources of STEC infections might be one of those “undefined sources” of human illnesses. Further research is necessary for evaluation of risks posed by contaminated feed, poultry, and environment.
T-2 Toxin: Incidence and Toxicity in Poultry Sokolovic, Marijana; Garaj-Vrhovac, Verica; Simpraga, Borka
Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju,
03/2008, Letnik:
59, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
T-2 toxin is the most toxic type A trichothecene mycotoxin. It is the secondary metabolite of the Fusarium fungi, and is common in grain and animal feed. Toxic effects have been shown both in ...experimental animals and in livestock. It has been implicated in several outbreaks of human mycotoxicoses. Toxic effects in poultry include inhibition of protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis, cytotoxicity, immunomodulation, cell lesions in the digestive tract, organs and skin, neural disturbances and low performance in poultry production (decreased weight gain, egg production, and hatchability). Concentrations of T-2 toxin in feed are usually low, and its immunosuppressive effects and secondary infections often make diagnosis difficult. If at the onset of the disease, a change in diet leads to health and performance improvements in animals, this may point to mycotoxin poisoning. Regular control of grain and feed samples is a valuable preventive measure, and it is accurate only if representative samples are tested. This article reviews the incidence and toxic effects of T-2 toxin in poultry.
T-2 toksin je najtoksičniji predstavnik trikotecenskih mikotoksina tipa A. On je sekundarni produkt metabolizma plijesni roda Fusarium i često je prisutan u žitaricama i hrani za životinje. Štetni učinci uočeni su u eksperimentalnih životinja i životinja u uzgoju. On se povezuje s pojavom bolesti ljudi od mikotoksikoza. Učinci toksina u peradi su višestruki: inhibicija sinteze proteina, DNA i RNA, citotoksični učinak, imunomodulatorni učinak, oštećenje stanica probavnog sustava, organa i kože, živčani poremećaji te pad proizvodnih karakteristika u uzgoju peradi (slabiji prirast, pad nesivosti i valivosti). Koncentracije T-2 toksina u hrani redovito su vrlo malene, a zbog imunosupresivnog djelovanja toksina te istodobne sekundarne infekcije bolest se često teško dijagnosticira. Pri pojavi bolesti promjenom hrane može doći do poboljšanja zdravstvenog stanja, što također upućuje na moguće trovanje mikotoksinima. Redovita kontrola uzoraka žitarica i hrane za životinje jedna je od preventivnih mjera, a detekcija mikotoksina u žitaricama i hrani pouzdana je samo ako se ispituje reprezentativan uzorak. U radu su opisani učestalost i toksični učinci T-2 toksina u peradi.
Maize (
Zea mays
) considered to be one of the most frequent crops in Croatia, is often contaminated with
Fusarium
mycotoxins. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible contamination of ...maize with T-2 toxin and fumonisins on 46 samples from different regions of Croatia. The highest concentrations of T-2 toxin and fumonisins were 210 and 25,200 ng/g, with mean values of 110 and 4,509 ng/g, respectively, pointing to maize contamination with these mycotoxins after the period of the year with extremely high rainfall.
Maize (Zea mays) is one of the most common crops in Croatia that is often contaminated with mycotoxins. The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method as a screening immunological method has ...become very popular in the determination of mycotoxins contamination of cereals, as it has many advantages such as a rapid and simple determination of their concentration. In this present study, 40 maize samples collected from animal feed factories were analyzed for the concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin (FUM) using the validated ELISA method of two different kit manufacturers to investigate the correlation of the determined mycotoxins concentration. The correlation coefficients for the concentration of DON and FUM, obtained using different kit manufacturers, were r = 0.9698 and r = 0.9303, respectively, yielding a high correlation between the applied ELISA methods. Concerning the legislation, in one maize sample, the DON concentration higher than the maximum recommended value was determined (16.24 mg/kg), whereas the FUM concentration in all the analyzed samples, without exception, were in accordance with recommended values.
This study presents data on regular health monitoring of fish in the Aquatika – Freshwater Aquarium Karlovac between October 2016 and December 2019. The Aquatika Aquarium houses 85 different ...freshwater fish species, 31 of which are endemic in Croatia. The study included an evaluation of the results of the aquarium health monitoring programme. It determined the most common fish diseases in the aquarium (at the species and individual levels) and determined whether endemic or non-endemic freshwater fish are more susceptible to diseases and disorders. The regular health monitoring programme revealed different diseases and disorders in endemic and non-endemic fish. During the monitoring, 3104 fish specimens were analysed. The most frequent disease was ichthyophthiriasis which occurred at a similar frequency in endemic and non-endemic fish species. The results proved to be valuable for the evaluation of risks and measures to minimise the risk of the introduction and spread of pathogens in the aquarium. Preventive fish medicine is extremely important for effective aquarium management. A comprehensive health monitoring programme, including quarantine systems, control of feed and environmental parameters, along with regular fish observation, are critical for the early detection of fish diseases.
PDF
