Abstract
Mycotoxins are toxic fungal secondary metabolities formed by a variety of fungi (moulds) species. Hundreds of potentially toxic mycotoxins have been already identified and are considered a serious problem in agriculture, animal husbandry, and public health. A large number of food-related products and beverages are yearly contaminated by mycotoxins, resulting in economic welfare losses. Mycotoxin indoor environment contamination is a global problem especially in less technologically developed countries. There is an ongoing effort in prevention of mould growth in the field and decontamination of contaminated food and feed in order to protect human and animal health. It should be emphasized that the mycotoxins production by fungi (moulds) species is unavoidable and that they are more toxic than pesticides. Human and animals are exposed to mycotoxin via food, inhalation, or contact which can result in many building-related illnesses including kidney and neurological diseases and cancer. In this review, we described in detail the molecular aspects of main representatives of mycotoxins, which are serious problems for global health, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol, patulin, and zearalenone.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites synthesized by a variety of fungi species such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Claviceps
About 1–2% of the toxin is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, by passive diffusion, it is hydroxylated in the liver and it forms aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) metabolite, which occurs in blood and is secreted in milk
Another mechanism of toxicity is associated with the activation of a number of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), which are responsible for many effects of the toxin, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammatory response, and endocrine disorders [104]
Summary
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites synthesized by a variety of fungi (moulds) species such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Claviceps They constitute a structurally diverse group of toxic and low molecular weight compound, which is generally less than 1000 Da [1,2,3]. Mycotoxins can enter human and animal bodies via food and feed The alimentary toxic aleukia (ATA) outbreak appeared in the Soviet Union in the 1940s This mycotoxicosis was caused by the Fusarium species (F. poae, F. sporotrichioides), mainly produced by T-2 mycotoxin. Mycotoxins have a definitely negative impact on human or animal health and they can even cause death Their most common effects on health are nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, immunosuppression, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity. Reproductive system disorders, hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, JECFA: 0.5 μg/kg body weight
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