Abstract
The extensive exposure to multiple mycotoxins has been demonstrated in many countries; however, realistic assessments of the risks related to cumulative exposure are limited. This biomonitoring study was conducted to investigate exposure to 23 mycotoxins/metabolites and their determinants in 227 adults (aged 20–88 years) in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Eight mycotoxins were detected in 110 urine samples, and multiple mycotoxins co-occurred in 51/227 (22.47%) of urine samples, with deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1), and zearalenone (ZEN) being the most frequently occurring. For single mycotoxin risk assessment, FB1, ZEN, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and ochratoxin A (OTA) all showed potential adverse effects. However, for the 12 samples containing DON and ZEN, in which none had a hazard risk, the combination of both mycotoxins in two samples was considered to pose potential endocrine disrupting risks to humans by hazard index (HI) method. The combined margin of exposure (MOET) for AFB1 and FB1 could constitute a potential health concern, and AFB1 was the main contributor. Our approach provides a blueprint for evaluating the cumulative risks related to different types of mycotoxins and opens a new horizon for the accurate interpretation of epidemiological health outcomes related to multi-mycotoxin exposure.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by various toxic fungal species.More than 400 mycotoxins were identified, including aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FUMs), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), and trichothecenes (TCTs), which exhibited high toxicities and impacted human and animal health [1,2]
Urinary metabolites/prototypes have been successfully used as indicators of mycotoxins exposure in many human biomonitoring studies (HBM), which have been performed in Africa, Europe, Asia, and America [10,11,12,13]
The results showed that 11.89% of urine samples were contaminated by ZEN
Summary
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by various toxic fungal species.More than 400 mycotoxins were identified, including aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FUMs), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), and trichothecenes (TCTs), which exhibited high toxicities and impacted human and animal health (e.g., mutagenic, teratogenic, and even carcinogenic activities) [1,2]. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by various toxic fungal species. Humans are exposed to multiple mycotoxins via the environment and daily consumer products. These mycotoxins are quickly metabolized as metabolites/prototypes and are excreted in urine [9]. Urinary metabolites/prototypes have been successfully used as indicators of mycotoxins exposure in many human biomonitoring studies (HBM), which have been performed in Africa, Europe, Asia, and America [10,11,12,13]. In China, most previously conducted investigations were mainly directed toward a single class of mycotoxins, and only one study conducted in 2019 investigated multiple mycotoxins exposure in 260 rural residents (aged 18–66 years) in Nanjing [12].
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