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Role of epigenetics in mycotoxin toxicity: A review

Lulu Li1, Ziqi He1, Yang Shi1

  • 1Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China; Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China.

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
|May 20, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Mycotoxins cause cell damage and toxicity through epigenetic changes like DNA methylation and histone modification. This review details these mechanisms and their roles in diseases such as cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that can cause various adverse health effects.
  • Previous research has established mycotoxin toxicity at DNA, RNA, and protein levels, including epigenetic alterations.
  • Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms of mycotoxin toxicity is crucial for disease prevention and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and summarize the epigenetic changes induced by common mycotoxins.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms of mycotoxin-induced epigenetic toxicity.
  • To highlight the role of mycotoxin epigenotoxicity in germ cell maturation, embryonic development, and carcinogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of epigenetic studies on mycotoxins.
  • Focus on DNA methylation, non-coding RNA, RNA modifications, and histone modifications.
  • Analysis of toxic effects of zearalenone, aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, and T-2 toxin.

Main Results:

  • Mycotoxins induce alterations in DNA methylation patterns.
  • Changes in non-coding RNA and RNA modifications are observed following mycotoxin exposure.
  • Histone modifications are significantly affected by mycotoxins, impacting gene expression.
  • Mycotoxin-induced epigenetic toxicity contributes to reproductive issues, immune dysfunction, genotoxicity, and cancer development.

Conclusions:

  • Mycotoxins exert toxicity through diverse epigenetic modifications.
  • Epigenetic alterations are key mechanisms underlying mycotoxin-induced pathologies.
  • This review provides a foundation for understanding mycotoxin epigenotoxicity and developing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Keywords:
CarcinogenicityEpigeneticsMycotoxinsToxicity activation

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