title: Effects of fumonisin B1 on the immune system of sprague-dawley rats following a 14-day oral (gavage) exposure.
abstract: The effects of fumonisin B1 (FB1) on the immune system of Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. Groups of male and female rats (10 rats/group) were gavaged daily for 14 days with doses of 0, 5, 15, and 25 mg/kg body wt/day and the primary (IgM) response to sheep red blood cells expressed as plaque-forming cell numbers/10(6) spleen mononuclear leukocytes (PFC/10(6) splenocytes) and PFC/spleen was determined. There was a significant dose-related linear trend toward decreased PFC/10(6) splenocytes (p = 0.003) and PFC/spleen cells (p = 0.001) in the male rats. Body weights, expressed as a percentage of the control, were significantly reduced (p = 0.002) in the male rats administered 15 and 25 mg/kg doses. The PFC numbers in female rats were not affected significantly by treatment (p > 0.05). For the remaining immunotoxicity studies, groups of male rats (10 rats/group) were gavaged with FB1 doses of 0, 1, 5, and 15 mg/kg body wt/day for 14 days. There was a weakly significant dose-related trend toward increased numbers of serum immunoglobulin class G (p = 0.04). Also a significant dose-related increase (p = 0.013) in Listeria monocytogenes numbers was observed in the spleen at 24 hr postinfection. Treatment did not have a significant effect on organ weights, hematology, mitogen-induced lymphocyte transformation, calcium mobilization, the numbers of leukocytes and T-lymphocyte subsets, the natural killer cell activity, and phagocytosis (p >/= 0. 05). These observations suggested that FB1 may have indirect consequences for human health and warrant further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tryphonas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bondy
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hodgen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mcguire
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernie
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayward
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000633:toxicity*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D037341:Fumonisins; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D037341:Fumonisins; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; C056933:fumonisin B1