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Huang W, Song C, Hua Y, Liu A. NNMT is involved in deoxynivalenol-induced hepatocyte toxicity via promoting ferroptosis. Toxicology 2025; 513:154084. [PMID: 39983889 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2025.154084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2024] [Revised: 02/03/2025] [Accepted: 02/09/2025] [Indexed: 02/23/2025]
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a common contamination mycotoxin that which exerts significant hepatotoxicity, posing a serious threat to human and animal health. Ferroptosis has been linked to the development of hepatotoxicity induced by DON. However, the mechanism by which DON promotes ferroptosis in hepatocytes is not well understood. Although studies have shown that DON upregulates the expression of nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT), its role in DON hepatotoxicity has not been elucidated. In this study, we found that DON inhibited SLC7A11/GPX4 and increased cytosolic free Fe2 + and lipid ROS, thereby inducing ferroptosis of HepG2 cells. Overexpression of NNMT markedly downregulated the expression of SLC7A11, GPX4, GCLC, and NQO1, exacerbated the DON-induced increase in free Fe2+ and lipid ROS, thus promoting ferroptosis. Silencing or inhibition of NNMT produced opposite effects and abolished the DON-induced ferroptosis. Further application of SLC7A11 and GPX4 inhibitor treatments confirmed that following DON exposure, NNMT triggered ferroptosis by inhibiting SLC7A11 and GPX4, to reduce cell viability and inhibit cell growth. Taken together, this study found that DON-induced NNMT may enhance ferroptosis by inhibiting the SLC7A11/GPX4 proteins in HepG2 cells. These findings provide valuable insights for controlling DON hepatotoxicity and hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiling Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Xianning Central Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China
| | - Chenchen Song
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China
| | - Yu Hua
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China
| | - Aimei Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China.
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Li K, Cai H, Luo B, Duan S, Yang J, Zhang N, He Y, Wu A, Liu H. Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products-Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment. Foods 2025; 14:865. [PMID: 40077568 PMCID: PMC11898784 DOI: 10.3390/foods14050865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2025] [Revised: 03/01/2025] [Accepted: 03/02/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns of mycotoxins across major food categories, including cereals and related products, animal-derived foods, fruits, and medical food materials. Furthermore, we critically evaluated two methodological frameworks for assessing mycotoxin exposure risks: (1) dietary exposure models integrating contamination levels and consumption data and (2) human biomonitoring approaches quantifying mycotoxin biomarkers in biological samples. A key contribution lies in the stratified analysis of exposure disparities among population subgroups (adults, teenagers, children, and infants). Additionally, we summarize current research on the relationship between human mycotoxin biomonitoring and associated health impacts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants. By elucidating the challenges inherent in existing studies, this synthesis provides a roadmap for advancing risk characterization and evidence-based food safety interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailin Li
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
- SIBS-UGENT-SJTU Joint Laboratory of Mycotoxin Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200331, China
| | - Hua Cai
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Baozhang Luo
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Shenggang Duan
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Jingjin Yang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Nan Zhang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Yi He
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Aibo Wu
- SIBS-UGENT-SJTU Joint Laboratory of Mycotoxin Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200331, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (H.C.); (B.L.); (S.D.); (J.Y.); (N.Z.); (Y.H.)
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Li K, Luo B, Cai H, Qi R, Zhu Z, He Y, Wu A, Liu H. Deoxynivalenol and Alternaria Toxin Exposure and Health Effects Assessment of Pregnant Shanghai Women. Foods 2025; 14:776. [PMID: 40077479 PMCID: PMC11898465 DOI: 10.3390/foods14050776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2025] [Revised: 02/05/2025] [Accepted: 02/06/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON) and Alternaria toxins (ATs) are two common types of mycotoxins in food. Although they are physiologically toxic to animals and various cell lines, data related to the exposure risks and health effects in the human population were still limited, especially for ATs. In this study, we combined food consumption data and human biomonitoring data of 200 pregnant volunteers from different districts of Shanghai to assess the exposure to DON and ATs. In addition, correlations between food consumption and urinary DON and ATs levels, urine biomarkers, and blood indexes were analyzed by regression analysis. For DON, the exposure assessment of the probable daily intake (PDI) indicated that a portion (37.5%) of all participants exceeded the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) proposed for DON. For ATs, the PDI values estimated based on the urinary concentrations indicated that 2-100% of all participants exceeded the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) values for ATs. In addition, we innovatively found some associations between exposure to ATs and abnormal uric acid and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol indexes by regression analysis. Despite the inevitable uncertainties, these results make an important contribution to the understanding of DON and ATs exposure risks and potential health hazards in the pregnant women population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailin Li
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Baozhang Luo
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Hua Cai
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Renjie Qi
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Zhenni Zhu
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Yi He
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
| | - Aibo Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China; (K.L.); (B.L.); (H.C.); (R.Q.); (Z.Z.); (Y.H.)
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Kim J, Song B, Kim KH, Moon Y. Ribosomal proteins mediate non-canonical regulation of gut inflammatory signature by crop contaminant deoxynivalenol. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2025; 289:117645. [PMID: 39788032 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2024] [Revised: 12/24/2024] [Accepted: 12/30/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2025]
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON), a prevalent mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, contaminates global agricultural products and poses significant health risks, particularly to the gastrointestinal (GI) system. DON exposure disrupts ribosomal function, inducing stress responses linked to various inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we elucidate a novel regulatory mechanism involving ribosomal proteins (RPs) RPL13A and RPS3, which mediate proinflammatory chemokine production in DON-exposed gut epithelial cells. Through a combination of transcriptomic analysis and experimental models, we demonstrate that while RPL13A negatively regulates inflammation by enhancing the anti-inflammatory transcription factor ATF3, RPS3 acts as a proinflammatory driver, promoting chemokine production via activation of MAPK pathways, transcriptional upregulation of EGR-1, and stabilization of mRNA through cytosolic translocation of HuR. Our findings reveal a dynamic interplay between RPL13A and RPS3, wherein RPL13A counteracts the proinflammatory effects of RPS3, offering a finely tuned regulatory axis in the inflammatory response to environmental toxins. These insights provide potential molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in toxin-induced inflammatory diseases of the gut, highlighting the non-canonical roles of ribosomal proteins in modulating immune responses to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juil Kim
- Laboratory of Mucosal Exposome and Biomodulation, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; Program of Total Foodtech and PNU-Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) Collaborative Research Center, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - BoGyoung Song
- Laboratory of Mucosal Exposome and Biomodulation, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Hyung Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuseok Moon
- Laboratory of Mucosal Exposome and Biomodulation, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; Graduate Program of Genomic Data Sciences, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea; Program of Total Foodtech and PNU-Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) Collaborative Research Center, Busan, Republic of Korea.
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Chen H, Zhou X, Ma J, Shan A. Low-dose deoxynivalenol exposure triggers hepatic excessive ferritinophagy and mitophagy mitigated by hesperidin modulated O-GlcNAcylation. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 480:135952. [PMID: 39341193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 09/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
The level and breadth of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in foods made with cereals have increased due to global warming. Consumption of DON-contaminated food and feed poses significant risks to human health and animal production. However, the mechanism by which prolonged exposure to low-dose DON leads to liver damage in animals and effective treatments remain unclear. Our investigation focused on the impact of varying DON exposure times on AML12 cells as well as the long-term liver damage caused by low-dose DON exposure in mice. In addition, this article investigated the unique role of hesperidin in mitigating hepatic ferroptosis induced by low-dose DON exposure. Our results imply that DON's suppression of O-GlcNAcylation exacerbated mitophagy by encouraging ferritinophagy and causing labile iron to aggregate within mitochondria. Furthermore, DON could increase NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy by De-O-GlcNAcylation FTH to trigger ferroptosis-associated liver injury in mice. Notably, hesperidin alleviated the susceptibility to ferroptosis by increasing O-GlcNAcylation levels and effectively attenuated the liver injury induced by low-dose DON exposure. This finding provides a new strategy for dealing with liver injury caused by low-dose DON exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Xintong Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Jun Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China; Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Mechanism for Animal Disease and Comparative Medicine, Harbin 150030, PR China.
| | - Anshan Shan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China.
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Gonya S, Kallmerten P, Dinapoli P. Are Infants and Children at Risk of Adverse Health Effects from Dietary Deoxynivalenol Exposure? An Integrative Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:808. [PMID: 38929054 PMCID: PMC11204095 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21060808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a foodborne mycotoxin produced by Fusarium molds that commonly infect cereal grains. It is a potent protein synthesis inhibitor that can significantly impact humans' gastrointestinal, immune, and nervous systems and can alter the microbiome landscape. Low-dose, chronic exposure to DON has been found to stimulate the immune system, inhibit protein synthesis, and cause appetite suppression, potentially leading to growth failure in children. At higher doses, DON has been shown to cause immune suppression, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, the malabsorption of nutrients, intestinal hemorrhaging, dizziness, and fever. A provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) limit of 1 µg/kg/body weight has been established to protect humans, underscoring the potential health risks associated with DON intake. While the adverse effects of dietary DON exposure have been established, healthcare communities have not adequately investigated or addressed this threat to child health, possibly due to the assumption that current regulatory exposure limits protect the public appropriately. This integrative review investigated whether current dietary DON exposure rates in infants and children regularly exceed PMTDI limits, placing them at risk of negative health effects. On a global scale, the routine contamination of cereal grains, bakery products, pasta, and human milk with DON could lead to intake levels above PMTDI limits. Furthermore, evidence suggests that other food commodities, such as soy, coffee, tea, dried spices, nuts, certain seed oils, animal milk, and various water reservoirs, can be intermittently contaminated, further amplifying the scope of the issue. Better mitigation strategies and global measures are needed to safeguard vulnerable youth from this harmful toxicant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Gonya
- Department of Nursing, College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | | | - Pamela Dinapoli
- Department of Nursing, College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
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