| Popis: |
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by many mould species. More than 300 mycotoxins are known and most of their toxicity mechanisms are unknown. Humans can be exposed to mycotoxins found in food, through skin or inhalation. Sterigmatocystin (STC) is a mycotoxin produced by many Aspergillus mould species which can contaminate wet buildings. STC is a precursor and has similar structure as a carcinogenic mycotoxin aflatoxin B1. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified OTA as a Group 2B (possible human carcinogen) carcinogen. So far, STC exposure was connected to liver and kidneys damage and DNA damage of certain cell lines. The aim of the study was to determine the role of oxidative stress in mechanism of STC toxicity. Experiments were performed on male adult Wistar rats because of their sensitivity to STC exposure. Animals were treated with single oral STC doses of 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 of LD50. After 24 hours rats were sacrificed and blood, liver, kidney, brain and lung samples were collected. The experiment was approved by the Ethic Committee of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health and the Ministry of Agriculture of Republic of Croatia in accordance with the European Communities Council Directive of 22 September 2010 (2010/63/EU). Parameters of oxidative damage of lipids, proteins and DNA were measured in different tissues. Levels of different oxidative stress parameters were not dose dependent and the kidney were more affected with STC treatment than other organs. This work has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation under the project MycotoxA (HRZZ-IP-09-2014-5982). |
