Investigation of the inflammatory and oxidative stress-inducing effects of deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin exposure in non-tumorigenic human intestinal cell model

Abstract

Fungi in the Fusarium genus produce trichothecene mycotoxins including deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 toxin which may elicit their damaging effects on the gastrointestinal tract following the consumption of contaminated cereal-based foods. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of these commonly occurring fusarotoxins alone and in combination using the human, non-cancerous intestinal epithelial cell line HIEC-6. Based on our experimental data, 24 h after treatment with fusarotoxins, hydrogen peroxide levels, intracellular oxidative stress and the amounts of inflammatory interleukins IL-6 and IL-8 significantly increased. Cell membrane localization of the tight junction protein claudin-1 decreased, whereas distribution of occludin remained unchanged. Taken together, the HIEC-6 cell line appears to be a suitable experimental model for monitoring the combined effects of mycotoxins at the cellular level including changes in the redox states of cells.