Acute Exposure to Zearalenone Disturbs Intestinal Homeostasis by Modulating the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

• Published in: Toxins Vol. 12; no. 2; p. 113
• Main Authors: Lahjouji, Tarek, Bertaccini, Aurora, Neves, Manon, Puel, Sylvie, Oswald, Isabelle P, Soler, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 11-02-2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animals; beta Catenin - genetics; beta Catenin - metabolism; Castration; Cytokines - genetics; Cytokines - metabolism; estrogen; Estrogen Receptor alpha - genetics; Estrogen Receptor alpha - metabolism; Food Contamination; Gene Expression - drug effects; Gene Expression - immunology; Homeostasis - drug effects; Homeostasis - genetics; Homeostasis - immunology; intestine; Jejunum - drug effects; Jejunum - immunology; Jejunum - metabolism; Jejunum - pathology; Life Sciences; Male; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mycology; mycotoxins; pig; Receptors, Adipokine - genetics; Receptors, Adipokine - metabolism; Swine; Time Factors; Toxicology; Transforming Growth Factor beta - genetics; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Wnt Signaling Pathway - drug effects; Wnt Signaling Pathway - genetics; wnt/β-catenin; zearalenone; Zearalenone - metabolism; Zearalenone - toxicity; estrogen; intestine; zearalenone; mycotoxins; Wnt/β-catenin; pig; beta-catenin; Wnt
• ISSN: 2072-6651; 2072-6651
• DOI: 10.3390/toxins12020113

The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN), which frequently contaminates cereal-based human food and animal feed, is known to have an estrogenic effect. The biological response associated with exposure to ZEN has rarely been reported in organs other than the reproductive system. In the intestine, several studies suggested that ZEN might stimulate molecular changes related to the activation of early carcinogenesis, but the molecular mechanisms behind these events are not yet known. In this study, we investigated gene expression and changes in protein abundance induced by acute exposure to ZEN in the jejunum of castrated male pigs using an explant model. Our results indicate that ZEN induces the accumulation of ER but not ER, modulates Wnt/β-catenin and TGF- signaling pathways, and induces molecular changes linked with energy sensing and the antimicrobial activity without inducing inflammation. Our results confirm that the intestine is a target for ZEN, inducing changes that promote cellular proliferation and could contribute to the onset of intestinal pathologies.