Research Publications (Food Safety)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a significant Fusarium toxin that has gained global attention due to its high frequency of contamination in food and feed. It was reported to have hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and reproduction toxicity in organs. On the other hand, Selenomethionine (SeMet) was proven to have anti-oxidation, tissue repairing, immunity improvement, and antifungal mycotoxin infection functions. However, the molecular mechanism by which SeMet alleviates DON damage is not yet clear.

Arsenic (AS), an environmental contaminant, is a known human carcinogen that can cause cancer of the lung, liver, and skin. Furthermore, AS induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairments in mammalian cells. However, limited information is available on the effect of AS exposure on oocyte maturation of porcine, whose anatomy, physiology, and metabolism are similar to those of human.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species that greatly threatens human health. We previously showed that OTA induced cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy in human gastric epithelium cells (GES-1). However, the mechanism underlying these effects is still unclear.

In this growing age of population, agriculture plays a significant role by providing food and employment to millions of people. But to meet the growing need of food day by day the demand of fast and quality plant production becomes a must. Fertilization is one of such activities which are people accustomed to do for this purpose from a very long time. But the excessive uses of chemical fertilizers are showing negative influence on the environmental and public health.

Lead (Pb) is an environmental neurotoxin that can lead to toxicity. It has shown that tissues can be exposed to oxidative stress in lead poisoning. Since silymarin is a natural agent with antioxidant effects, this study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and chelation effects of silibinin and nano-silibinin on the oxidative stress status in lead-poisoned rats. Sixty male Wistar rats randomly divided into ten groups (n=6).

Arsenobetaine (AsB) is a primary arsenic (As) compound found in marine organisms. However, in mammals, the metabolic mechanism of AsB remains indistinct.

Long term low dose exposure of arsenic has been reported to lead various cells proliferation and malignant transformation. GLUT1, as the key transporter of glucose, has been reported to have association with rapid proliferation of various cells or tumor cells. In our study, we found that low dose exposure to arsenic trioxide (0.1μmol/L As2O3) could induce an increase in glucose uptake and promote cell viability and DNA synthesis.

Excessive intake of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F), which are present in underground drinking water, have adverse effects on human health, and especially on the male reproductive system. In this regard, it's critical to figure out how As and F affect Leydig and Sertoli cells, which are key cells in the male reproductive system.

Okadaic acid (OA, C₄₄H₆₈O₁₃) is a neurotoxin and phosphatase inhibitor produced by several 

The present study investigated the attenuating effects of Zn following Cd-exposure in the activities/expression of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO), tryptophan 2, 3-dioxygenase (TDO), oxidative-inflammatory response, behavioral indices and histologic architecture in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of male rats. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to 200 μg/L and 100 μg/L of Cd and/or Zn in drinking water for 42 days.

Toxic effects of lead (Pb) are principally manifested in the central nervous system (CNS) and a mounting body of evidence indicates that excessive chronic exposure to Pb participates in the pathological processes of numerous neurodegenerative disorders in humans. In this study we evaluated whether the prolonged pre- and postnatal exposure of rat pups to lead, administrated through ingestion in drinking water, as a typical environmental exposure, can determine alterations of the protein p

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a variety of molds that is found in various food products. The adverse health effects associated with exposure to patulin has led to many investigations into the biological basis driving the toxicity of patulin. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which mammalian cells resists patulin-mediated toxicity is poorly understood. Here, we show that loss of the Nrf1 transcription factor renders cells sensitive to the acute cytotoxic effects of patulin.

Domoic acid (DA) is a marine neurotoxin produced as a defence compound by diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. Although its toxicity is well known in marine mammals and fish, data on DA cyto/genotoxicity in human non-target cells is still limited. Hence, we aimed to study the effect of DA (0.001 to 10 µg/mL) on cell viability and proliferation kinetics of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells as well as DNA damage induction after 4, 24 and 72 h of exposure.

Obesity is considered as a major public health concern with strong economic and social burdens. Exposure to pollutants such as heavy metals can contribute to the development of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adipose tissue is an endocrine and paracrine organ that plays a key role in the development of these diseases and is one of the main target of heavy metal accumulation.

To elaborate the molecular mechanism underlying the hepatotoxicity induced by chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd), a mouse model with hepatocyte-specific deletion of Ppp2r1a (encoding protein phosphatase 2 A Aα subunit, PP2A Aα) gene was used to investigate the effect of cadmium exposure on liver injury.

Mycotoxins can impart different types of combined toxicity to humans and animals, therefore, it is critical to understand the underlying mechanisms to eliminate the harm. Herein a combination of zearalenone (ZEA) at 2 μM and deoxynivalenol (DON) at 0.1 μM decreased cell viability and increased ROS level in HepG2 cells, suggesting synergistic toxicity exerted by ZEA and DON even at their low toxic concentrations.

Author(s): Jian Sun, Fan Yu, Tao Wang, Jianchun Bian, Zongping Liu, Hui Zou

Author(s): Ravibabu Kalahasthi, Raju Nagaraju, Rakesh Balachandar, Bhavani Shankara Bagepally

Author(s): Aijing Bi, Zhen Guo, Guocui Yang, Youfang Huang, Zhimin Yin, Lan Luo

Author(s): Maike Gährs, Dieter Schrenk

Author(s): Melanie Hemgesberg, Simone Stegmüller, Alexander Cartus, Dieter Schrenk

Author(s): Wen-Long Lei, Yuan-Yuan Li, Yi Hou, Chenli Liu, Wei-Ping Qian, Qing-Yuan Sun, Chun-Hui Zhang

Author(s): Rui-Feng Fan, Kou-Kou Tang, Zhen-Yong Wang, Lin Wang

Author(s): Cássia R. Roque, Letícia R. Sampaio, Mayumi N. Ito, Daniel V. Pinto, Juan S.R. Caminha, Paulo I.G. Nunes, Ramon S. Raposo, Flávia A. Santos, Cláudia C. Windmöller, Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez, Jacqueline I. Alvarez-Leite, Reinaldo B. Oriá, Ronald F. Pinheiro