College of Veterinary medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, China.
Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
J Toxicol Sci. 2022;47(6):257-268. doi: 10.2131/jts.47.257.
Zearalenone (ZEN), one of the most prevalent non-steroidal oestrogenic mycotoxins, is primarily produced by Fusarium fungi. Due to its toxicity as an oestrogenic compound and wide distribution in feed and foods, the reproductive toxicology of ZEN exposure is of public concern. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of ZEN on Sertoli cells to identify apoptotic pathways induced by this compound. We found that ZEN reduced the viability and caused apoptosis in Sertoli cells in vitro. Notably, we observed that such effects were associated with a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the number of cells that showed positive staining for γH2AX and RAD51, enzymes essential for repairing DNA damage. There was a parallel decrease in the expression of occludin and connexin 43, proteins that are present in the testis-blood barrier and gap junctions of Sertoli cells, respectively. Overall, the present study confirms that ZEN exposure can have serious deleterious effects on mammalian Sertoli cells and offers novel insight about its molecular targets in these cells.
玉米赤霉烯酮（ZEN）是一种最普遍的非甾体类雌激素真菌毒素，主要由镰刀菌产生。由于其作为雌激素化合物的毒性以及在饲料和食品中的广泛分布，ZEN 暴露的生殖毒理学引起了公众的关注。本研究旨在探讨 ZEN 对支持细胞的影响，以确定该化合物诱导的凋亡途径。我们发现 ZEN 在体外降低了支持细胞的活力并导致其凋亡。值得注意的是，我们观察到这些影响与活性氧（ROS）的显著增加以及显示 γH2AX 和 RAD51 阳性染色的细胞数量有关，这两种酶对于修复 DNA 损伤至关重要。occludin 和 connexin 43 的表达平行下降，这两种蛋白分别存在于睾丸血屏障和支持细胞的缝隙连接中。总的来说，本研究证实 ZEN 暴露会对哺乳动物支持细胞产生严重的有害影响，并为其在这些细胞中的分子靶标提供了新的见解。
