title: Effects of zearalenone on oxidative stress and inflammation in weanling piglets.
abstract: Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by the fungi of Fusarium genera. Piglets were fed for 18 days with a control or a ZEN (316 ppb) contaminated diet. At the end of the experiment tissue samples were taken for assessment of: lymphocyte proliferation, monocytes and granulocytes respiratory burst, inflammatory cytokine synthesis in blood and liver, expression of genes involved in oxidative stress or in inflammation, plasma biochemical parameters, total antioxidant status and nitric oxide synthesis. In blood, ZEN increases the respiratory burst of monocytes and the inflammatory cytokine (TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, IFN gamma) synthesis, while in liver, ZEN decreases the synthesis of all inflammatory cytokines investigated. In liver and spleen, different effect on the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress and inflammation was observed. While in liver, ZEN decrease the expression of cyclooxigenase gene, but increase the expression of glutathione peroxydase and catalase genes; in spleen, ZEN induces a decrease of the superoxide dismutase gene expression together with an increase of the cyclooxigenase. In conclusion, our results showed that liver, spleen and blood may also be target tissues in weanling piglets fed ZEN contaminated diet, with different effects on oxidative stress and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, National Institute for Research and Development for Biology and Animal Nutrition, Calea Bucuresti No. 1, Balotesti, Ilfov 077015, Romania. daniela.marin@ibna.ro
authors.forename: Daniela E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: Gina C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Pistol
authors.forename: Ionela V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Neagoe
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calin
authors.forename: Ionelia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Taranu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017931:DNA Primers; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / Q000633:toxicity*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013552:Swine; D015025:Zearalenone / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D017931:DNA Primers; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D015025:Zearalenone
keywords: Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Swine; Zearalenone