In Vivo Assessment of Zearalenone Toxicity

The microscopic filamentous fungi of the genus Fusarium are capable of producing secondary metabolites—mycotoxins. Fusarium fungi synthesize trichothecenes, zearalenone (ZEA) and fumonisins under appropriate environmental conditions. In this biological experiment, we studied the effects of zearalenone on a model organism called Artemia franciscana. During the three-day in vivo tests, we used five different concentrations of zearalenone (0.08 ppm, 0.4 ppm, 2 ppm, 10 ppm and 50 ppm). The results of this study showed that as the zearalenone concentration and the duration of the mycotoxin exposure increased, the lethality of artemia also increased. Our study showed that the toxicity of zearalenone to Artemia franciscana was relatively low