title: Fusarin C acts like an estrogenic agonist and stimulates breast cancer cells in vitro.
abstract: Fusarin C is a mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species and has been associated with esophageal cancer due to its carcinogenic effects. Here, we report that fusarin C stimulates growth of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. This suggests that fusarin C can act as an estrogenic agonist and should be classified as a mycoestrogen. MCF-7 cells were stimulated in the range between 0.1 and 20μM and inhibited when the concentration exceeded 50μM. The toxicity of fusarin C is comparable to other mycoestrogens such as zearalenone, but the chemical structure of fusarin C is very different from other known estrogen agonists. Furthermore, the toxicity of fusarin C was tested in five additional human cell lines Caco 2, U266, PC3, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10a which were all inhibited when the concentration of fusarin C exceeded 10μM. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the mycoestrogenic properties of fusarin C.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark. teis.sondergaard@agrsci.dk
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Sondergaard
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purup
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Bonefeld-Jørgensen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sørensen
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000819:agonists* / Q000235:genetics; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000819:agonists* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005670:Fusarium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011090:Polyenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C506487:ESR1 protein, human; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D011090:Polyenes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C041403:fusarin C