Interactions between T-2 toxin and its metabolites in HepG2 cells and in silico approach

The T-2 toxin (T-2) is commonly metabolized to HT-2 toxin (HT-2), Neosolaniol (NEO), T2-triol and T2-tetraol and they can modify the toxicity of T-2. In this study, T-2 and its modified forms were evaluated by in vitro and in silico methods. The in vitro cytotoxicity individually was evaluated by MTT and Total Protein Content (PC) assays in human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells. The order of IC₅₀ was T-2 tetraol > T-2 triol > NEO > T-2 = HT-2. The T-2 and HT-2 evidenced the highest cytotoxic effect in HepG2 cells individually. No differences were observed in binary combinations tested and the two mycotoxins in the mixture tested individually. The T-2+HT-2 combination showed the highest toxic potential with the lowest IC₅₀ value of 34.42 ± 0.58 nM at 24 h. All binary combinations exhibited antagonistic interactions. The ADME and toxicity profile of mycotoxins were obtained by the in silico admetSAR predictive model which determines the metabolic and toxicological approaches in order to know if these mycotoxins might be taken into consideration to support a more realistic and adequate risk assessment.