title: T-2 mycotoxin slows down the development of mouse blastocysts, decreases their blastomere number and increases chromatin damage.
abstract: The mycotoxin T-2 has many harmful effects on mammalian cells and reproductive functions. In the present study, the in vitro effect of T-2 toxin on mouse blastocysts was examined. Embryos were cultured in media supplemented with 0.5, 0.75 and 1 ng/ml T-2. Different exposure times were applied [96 h (treatment I) or 24 h following 72 h in toxin-free media (treatment II)]. Blastomere number, nuclear chromatin status and blastocoel formation were investigated in blastocysts. Our data show that the effect of T-2 toxin may vary depending on the stage of the embryo at the start of exposure. At 96 h of exposure, the blastocysts had blastomeres with normal chromatin quality but their developmental potential was decreased. After 24 h of exposure applied following a 72-h culture, blastomeres had a higher level of chromatin damage, although their developmental potential was the same as in the control embryos. In both cases, decreased mitotic rate was found, which resulted in decreased blastomere number even at low toxin concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department and Clinic of Reproduction, University of Veterinary Medicine , István u. 2, H-1078 Budapest , Hungary.
authors.forename: Bence
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Somoskői
authors.affiliation: MTA-KE Mycotoxins in the Food Chain Research Group , Kaposvár , Hungary.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.affiliation: Department and Clinic of Reproduction, University of Veterinary Medicine , István u. 2, H-1078 Budapest , Hungary.
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cseh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects*; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002843:Chromatin / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D013605:T-2 Toxin / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D013605:T-2 Toxin
keywords: T-2 toxin; blastocoel; embryotoxicity; in vitro culture; mouse embryos; nuclear chromatin