Zearalenone alters the excitability of rat neuronal networks after acute in vitro exposure

Zearalenone (ZEN) impairs motor function and induces neurotoxicity via inflammatory pathways: Evidence from zebrafish models and molecular docking studies

ZEN is a low-molecular-weight food contaminant that is frequently detected in various crops and regions due to its high thermal stability and persistence. It poses a significant threat to the biological nervous system. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ZEN-induced neurotoxicity remain incompletely understood. To further explore this issue, this study focused on the effects of ZEN on the nervous system, particularly its key targets and related molecular mechanisms. The study combined network toxicology and molecular docking methods and performed behavioral analysis of zebrafish larvae exposed to ZEN. Firstly, motor capacity tests revealed that ZEN exposure significantly reduced the overall movement speed of zebrafish larvae during both photoperiod and dark cycles. We then identified 141 potential targets associated with ZEN-induced neurotoxicity from the GeneCards, OMIM, and DrugBank databases. Further screening using STRING and Cytoscape software extracted 25 key nodes, including TP53, AKT1, CASP3, MAPK3, and NFKB1. Analysis of GO and KEGG pathways suggested 20 of the most relevant signaling pathways and indicated that the core targets of ZEN-induced neurotoxicity were primarily involved in inflammatory pathways. Molecular docking using AutoDock further confirmed the strong binding affinity between ZEN and the targets. All six core target proteins exhibited strong binding affinity with ZEN, with binding energies of less than -7. In summary, the results of this study suggest that ZEN may impact cognitive dysfunction and neuropathy by activating neuroinflammatory signaling pathways, ultimately leading to neuronal death. This study provides important insights into the molecular mechanisms of ZEN-induced neurotoxicity and highlights the potential for prevention and treatment of diseases associated with exposure to ZEN and similar food contaminants.

Caspase-8 dependent apoptosis contributes to dyskinesia caused by muscle defects and neurotoxicity in zebrafish exposed to zearalenone

Zearalenone (ZEA), one of the usual mycotoxins, has been recognized in many areas and crops, posing a significant threat to the living organisms even to human beings. However, the mechanisms of locomotive defects remain unknown. Herein, zebrafish larvae was employed to investigate ZEA effects on developmental indexes, muscle and neural toxicity, apoptosis, transcriptome and motor behaviors of zebrafish larvae. Zebrafish larvae exposed to ZEA (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 μM) showed no change in survival rate, but the malformation rate of zebrafish larvae increased dramatically manifesting with severe body bending and accomplished with adverse effects on hatching rate and body length. Moreover, the larvae manifested with defective muscle and abnormal neural development, resulting in decreased swimming ability, which probably due to the abnormal overactivation of apoptosis. And this was confirmed by enriched caspase 8-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway in the following transcriptome analysis. Meanwhile, there was a recovery in swimming behaviors in the larvae co-exposed in ZEA and caspase 8 inhibitor. These findings provide an important evidence for risk assessment and potential treatment target of ZEA exposure.

MnO2 nanosheets-triggered oxVB1 fluorescence immunoassay for detection zearalenone

In this study, an alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-mediated fluorescence immunoassay for detecting zearalenone (ZEN) was established based on the oxVB₁ fluorescence signal modulated by MnO₂ nanosheets (MnO₂ NS). As the ALP-antibody content increased, more 2-phosphoascorbic acid (AAP) was hydrolyzed to ascorbic acid (AA) which destroyed the MnO₂ NS rapidly. In the lack of MnO₂ NS, VB₁ cannot be oxidized to oxVB₁ for emitting fluorescence. On the contrary, the fluorescence of oxVB₁ recovered slowly with the decrease of the ALP-antibody concentration. In the optimization condition, the detection limit of this method was 15.5 pg mL^-1. Moreover, the recovery of ZEN in real samples ranged from 94.24 % to 108.26 %, which indicated the remarkable accuracy and reliability of this approach. Meanwhile, the proposal of this fluorescence immunoassay provided a new possibility for detecting other targets by replacing antibodies and antigens.