title: Toxicity assessment of fumonisins using the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay.
abstract: The Fusarium mycotoxins fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) (1) and B(2) (FB(2)) (2), their hydrolysed analogues HFB(1) (3) and HFB(2) (4) and the recently discovered fumonisin derivatives N-palmitoyl-HFB(1) (5) and N-carboxymethyl-FB(1) (6) were compared for their toxicity in a short term bioassay using brine shrimp (Artemia salina). The brine shrimp were hatched in artificial sea water and exposed to the fumonisins in microwell plates with a mortality endpoint after 48 hours. LC(50) values were calculated after Probit transformation of the resulting data. Of the substances tested, fumonisin B(1) emerged to be the most toxic whereas its N-carboxymethyl analogue was 100-fold less effective. The hydrolysed fumonisins showed a four- to sixfold reduced toxicity compared to FB(1). N-Palmitoyl-HFB(1) had a higher LC(50) value than its precursor HFB(1). The brine shrimp assay proved to be a convenient and rapid system for toxicity assessment of this group of mycotoxins.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartl
authors.forename: H U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Humpf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia; D001681:Biological Assay; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000633:toxicity*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D037341:Fumonisins; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D037341:Fumonisins; D009183:Mycotoxins; C056934:fumonisin B2; C056933:fumonisin B1