An investigation of mycotoxin induced damage and remediation strategies in porcine intestinal cells

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring secondary metabolites, produced by fungal species, and can be toxic to both humans and animals when consumed. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most commonly occurring mycotoxins and is found to be a common contaminant of cereal grains that are consumed by humans and animals. Consumption of DON contaminated feed can result in vomiting, refusal of feed and reduced weight gain. Zearalenone (ZEN) is an oestrogenic mycotoxin that has been shown to have a negative effect on the reproductive function of animals. The structure of ZEN resembles that of naturally occurring oestrogens, which allows it to bind to oestrogenic receptors, resulting in hormonal disturbances. It has been shown that pigs are most susceptible to both DON and ZEN toxicity through their feeds. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has suggested that the maximum level DON in pig feed should not exceed 0.9 ppm and ZEN in feed for sows and fattening pigs should not exceed 0.25 ppm. DON and ZEN are commonly found to co-occur as both are produced by the Fusarium species. Their common co-occurrence makes it a critical issue in the agriculture industry. Organic selenium yeasts are frequently used as an animal feed supplement as it has a positive impact on animal health. Mycotoxin binders that reduce the amount of mycotoxin absorbed by animals are also used as supplements to animal feeds. In this thesis, the effect of DON and ZEN, individually and combined, on the cell viability, DNA damage and apoptosis of porcine intestinal epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells was studied. Additionally, the potential ameliorative effects of organic selenium yeast and polyunsaturated fatty acids from a mycotoxin binder (Mycosorb A+) against mycotoxin-induced damage was investigated. This research illustrates the damaging effects of the co-occurring mycotoxins and a potential mitigation strategy against such damage