Abstract
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that can cause serious health problems in animals, and may result in severe economic losses. Deleterious effects of these feed contaminants in animals are well documented, ranging from growth impairment, decreased resistance to pathogens, hepato- and nephrotoxicity to death. By contrast, data with regard to their impact on intestinal functions are more limited. However, intestinal cells are the first cells to be exposed to mycotoxins, and often at higher concentrations than other tissues. In addition, mycotoxins specifically target high protein turnover- and activated-cells, which are predominant in gut epithelium. Therefore, intestinal investigations have gained significant interest over the last decade, and some publications have demonstrated that mycotoxins are able to compromise several key functions of the gastrointestinal tract, including decreased surface area available for nutrient absorption, modulation of nutrient transporters, or loss of barrier function. In addition some mycotoxins facilitate persistence of intestinal pathogens and potentiate intestinal inflammation. By contrast, the effect of these fungal metabolites on the intestinal microbiota is largely unknown. This review focuses on mycotoxins which are of concern in terms of occurrence and toxicity, namely: aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and Fusarium toxins. Results from nearly 100 published experiments (in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo) were analyzed with a special attention to the doses used.
Highlights
Due to the rapid increase of the world population, animal productivity and feed security are becoming major challenges
The demand in feed supply is considerable, and more than 70% of cereal crops are dedicated to animal production
The data from research studies with realistic doses show that mycotoxins, and in particular DON, can compromise several intestinal functions, such as digestion, absorption, permeability, defense, and result in lower productivity and poor health of animals
Summary
Due to the rapid increase of the world population, animal productivity and feed security are becoming major challenges. Mycotoxins are structurally diverse low-molecular weight metabolites produced by various molds belonging to species of the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera These toxins inflict loss to farmers and reduce the value of contaminated feeds. The absorption of mycotoxins and their fate within the GIT suggests that the epithelium is repeatedly exposed to these toxics, and at higher concentrations than other tissues. This latter point is further explored of this review. Based on recent mycotoxin surveys [6,7,8], these doses were placed in three different categories: realistic, occasional and unrealistic doses (Table 2) This approach was applied to all results reported in this review
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