Protective and Detoxifying Effects of Resveratrol on Zearalenone-Mediated Toxicity: A Review

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium spp. fungi and is widely found in moldy corn, wheat, barley, and other grains. ZEA is distributed to the whole body via blood circulation after metabolic transformation in animals. Through oxidative stress, immunosuppression, apoptosis, autophagy, and mitochondrial dysfunction, ZEA leads to hepatitis, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, abortion, and stillbirth in female animals, and decreased sperm motility in male animals. In recent years, due to the influence of climate, storage facilities, and other factors, the problem of ZEA pollution in global food crops has become particularly prominent, resulting in serious problems for the animal husbandry and feed industries, and threatening human health. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural product with therapeutic activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. RSV can alleviate ZEA-induced toxic effects by targeting signaling pathways such as NF-κB, Nrf2/Keap1, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR via attenuating oxidative damage, inflammatory response, and apoptosis, and regulating cellular autophagy. Therefore, this paper provides a review of the protective effect of RSV against ZEA-induced toxicity and its molecular mechanism, and discusses the safety and potential clinical applications of RSV in the search for natural mycotoxin detoxification agents.