title: Dual effects exerted in vitro by micromolar concentrations of deoxynivalenol on undifferentiated caco-2 cells.
abstract: Contamination of crops used for food and feed production with Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), raise important health and economic issues all along the food chain. Acute exposure to high DON concentrations can alter the intestinal barrier, while chronic exposure to lower doses may exert more subtle effects on signal transduction pathways, leading to disturbances in cellular homeostasis. Using real-time cellular impedance measurements, we studied the effects exerted in vitro by low concentrations of DON (0.37-1.50 μM), relevant for mycotoxin-contaminated food, on the proliferation of undifferentiated Caco-2 cells presenting a tumorigenic phenotype. A 1.5 μM concentration of DON maintained cell adherence of non-proliferating Caco-2 cells, whilst arresting the growth of actively proliferating cells compared with control Caco-2 cells in vitro. At 0.37 μM, DON enhanced Caco-2 cell metabolism, thereby triggering a moderate increase in cell proliferation. The results of the current study suggested that low concentrations of DON commonly detected in food may either limit or sustain the proliferation of colon cancer cells, depending on their proliferation status and on DON concentration. Soluble factors released by Lactobacillus strains can partially counteract the inhibitory action of DON on actively proliferating colon cancer cells. The study also emphasized that real-time cellular impedance measurements were a valuable tool for investigating the dynamics of cellular responses to xenobiotics.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department, "Victor Babes" National Institute of Pathology, 99-101 Splaiul Independentei, Bucharest 050096, Romania. gina.manda@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manda
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department, "Victor Babes" National Institute of Pathology, 99-101 Splaiul Independentei, Bucharest 050096, Romania. miha_moc@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mihaela Andreea
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mocanu
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 Eliza
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Marin
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. ionelia.taranu@ibna.ro.
authors.forename: Ionelia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Taranu
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000254:growth & development; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014255:Trichothecenes; C007262:deoxynivalenol