Structure-toxicity relationships, toxicity mechanisms and health risk assessment of food-borne modified deoxynivalenol and zearalenone: A comprehensive review

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2022-02, Vol.806 (Pt 3), p.151192-151192, Article 151192
• Main Authors: Lu, Qian, Luo, Jiao-Yang, Ruan, Hao-Nan, Wang, Chang-Jian, Yang, Mei-Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Food Contamination - analysis; Health risk assessment; Humans; Modified DON and ZEN; Mycotoxins - analysis; Mycotoxins - toxicity; Relative potency factors (RPFs); Risk Assessment; Structure-toxicity relationships; Toxicity mechanism; Trichothecenes - toxicity; Zearalenone - analysis; Zearalenone - toxicity
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151192

Mycotoxin, as one of the most common pollutants in foodstuffs, poses great threat to food security and human health. Specifically, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN)—two mycotoxin contaminants with considerable toxicity widely existing in food products—have aroused broad public concerns. Adding to this picture, modified forms of DON and ZEN, have emerged as another potential environmental and health threat, owing to their higher re-transformation rate into parent mycotoxins inducing accumulation of mycotoxin in humans and animals. Given this, a better understanding of the toxicity of modified mycotoxins is urgently needed. Moreover, the lack of toxicity data means a proper risk assessment of modified mycotoxins remains challenging. To better evaluate the toxicity of modified DON and ZEN, we have reviewed the relationship between their structures and toxicities. The toxicity mechanisms behind modified DON and ZEN have also been discussed; briefly, these involve acute, subacute, chronic, and combined toxicities. In addition, this review also addresses the global occurrence of modified DON and ZEN, and summarizes novel methods—including in silico analysis and implementation of relative potency factors—for risk assessment of modified DON and ZEN. Finally, the health risk assessment of modified DON and ZEN has also been discussed comprehensively. [Display omitted] •The structure-toxicity relationships for parent and modified DON and ZEN were explored.•The toxicity mechanisms of modified DON and ZEN were elaborated.•The current challenge and prospect for modified mycotoxins analysis was proposed.