[The metabolism of trichothecenes in swine]

Trichothecenes like T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and deoxynivalenol, which occur in feed, are metabolized preponderant in a biphasic way. Oxidation and hydrolysis are carried out in phase 1, while the transformation products are conjugated with glucuronic acid in phase 2; in addition, the epoxide ring is cleaved by the gut microflora. Metabolites of T-2 toxin are HT-2 toxin, 3'-hydroxy-T-2 toxin, 3'-hydroxy-HT-2 toxin, neosolaniol, 4-deacetylneosolaniol, T-2 triol, T-2 tetraol, and de-epoxide T-2 tetraol. Diacetoxyscirpenol is transformed to 15-monoacetoxyscirpenol, scirpenetriol, de-epoxide 15-moneacetoxyscirpenol, and de-epoxide scirpenetriol. Deoxynivalenol undergoes no extensive metabolism; only the production of deoxynivalenol glucuronide and de-epoxide deoxynivalenol is assumed. As trichothecenes are rapid metabolized, the diagnosis of an intoxication by the analysis of samples of pig origin should be hardly possible; for the same reason, the possibility of an enrichment of trichothecene metabolites in edible tissues is graded as low.