Applications of flow cytometry to toxicological mycotoxin effects in cultured mammalian cells: A review

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2013-06, Vol.56, p.40-59
• Main Authors: Juan-García, Ana, Manyes, Lara, Ruiz, María-José, Font, Guillermina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: air; Alternaria; Alternaria - metabolism; Animals; apoptosis; Aspergillus; Aspergillus - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Cell culture; cell cycle; cell growth; Cell Line; Cell parameters; Cell Survival - drug effects; crops; deoxynivalenol; Flow cytometry; Flow Cytometry - methods; food chain; fungi; Fusarium; Fusarium - metabolism; Humans; Mammals; Medical sciences; membrane potential; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial - drug effects; mitochondrial membrane; Mycotoxins; Mycotoxins - toxicity; Penicillium; Penicillium - metabolism; Plant poisons toxicology; rapid methods; Review; secondary metabolites; Toxicity; Toxicology; Trichothecenes - toxicity; viability; zearalenone; Zearalenone - toxicity
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.02.005

► Overview of the applications of FC to toxicological studies of mycotoxins on different mammalians cell lines. ► Cell functionality criteria: physiological target sites, cell ligand and dyes in mycotoxin studies. ► Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium mycotoxins on FC. Cell type, assay conditions and functional parameters. ► Cell parameters to elucidate cell growth and viability, metabolic activity, MMP and membrane integrity mechanisms. This review gives an overview of flow cytometry applications to toxicological studies of several physiological target sites of mycotoxins on different mammalian cell lines. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that may be present in food, feed, air and water. The increasing presence of mycotoxins in crops, their wide distribution in the food chain, and their potential for toxicity demonstrate the need for further knowledge. Flow cytometry has become a valuable tool in mycotoxin studies in recent years for the rapid analysis of single cells in a mixture. In toxicology, the power of these methods lies in the possibility of determining a wide range of cell parameters, providing valuable information to elucidate cell growth and viability, metabolic activity, mitochondrial membrane potential and membrane integrity mechanisms. There are studies using flow cytometry technique on Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium mycotoxins including information about cell type, assay conditions and functional parameters. Most of the studies collected in the literature are on deoxynivalenol and zearalenone mycotoxins. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis are the processes more widely investigated.