T-2 toxin-induced toxicity in pregnant rats
histopathology and gene expression profiles
2003 年 2003 巻 Suppl3 号 p. 33-39
詳細
2003 年 2003 巻 Suppl3 号 p. 33-39
T-2 toxin is a trichothecene mycotoxin produced by various species of Fusarium spp. Single dose or subacute dose of T-2 toxin induces damage in the lymphoid and hematopoietic tissues, resulting in lymphopenia and immunosuppression in many species. Necrosis/apoptosis is also reported in the gastrointestinal tract and liver. As there are a few reports of T-2 toxin-induced toxicity in pregnant rats, we performed a study to examine T-2 toxin-induced morphological changes in pregnant rats. Single cell necrosis was observed in the thymus, liver, intestines, placenta and fetal liver in pregnant rats treated with T-2 toxin on day 13 of gestation. To investigate gene expression profiles in the liver, placenta and fetal liver in the pregnant rats treated with T-2 toxin, Wistar rats on day 13 of gestation were orally administered with T-2 toxin at a single dosage of 2 mg/kg. Twenty-four hours after treatment, rats were sacrificed. Microarray analysis in the liver, placenta and fetal liver was performed using the Affymetrix Rat Genome U34A chip. The results in these tissues showed the same changes in lipid metabolism-related genes, apoptosis-related genes and oxidative stress-related genes. From these results, the mechanism of T-2 toxin-induced toxicity is speculated that T-2 toxin caused oxidative stress, following the impairment of lipid peroxidation and metabolism-related enzymes. These changes may cause the changes in the intracellular environments, finally resulting in the induction of apoptosis. Further study on the gene expression profiles at the earlier time point should be done to clarify the whole mechanisms of T-2 toxin-induced toxicity.
