Their Transfer to the Brain

Background Secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium fungi frequently contaminate food and feed and have adverse effects on human and animal health. Fusariummycotoxins exhibit a wide structural and biosynthetic diversity leading to different toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics. Several studies investigated the toxicity of mycotoxins, focusing on very specific targets, like the brain. However, it still remains unclear how fast mycotoxins reach the brain and if they impair the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. This study investigated and compared the effects of the Fusariummycotoxins deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and monilifor-min on the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, the transfer properties to the brain were ana-lyzed, which are required for risk assessment, including potential neurotoxic effects. Methods Primary porcine brain capillary endothelial cells were cultivated to study the effects of the examined mycotoxins on the blood-brain barrier in vitro. The barrier integrity was monitored by cellular impedance spectroscopy and 14C radiolabeled sucrose permeability measure