Biosynthesis and preparation of T-2 Toxin,HT-2 Toxin and Neosolantol

Biosynthesis of trichothecenes by strains ofF. sporotriahioides KF 9 6 and KF 530 was performed on rice as a medium. Three toxins in significant amounts were produced, with yield: T-2 toxin 0.7g from 600g of drv culture, being the highest of the three metabolites, HT-2 toxin 0.06g an Neosolaniol 0.015g. Toxins were extracted with methanol from ground and defatted dry culture. Liquid/liquid partition, using chloroform/water saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate as a preliminary purification was applied. Silicagel and charcoal columns were used in further purification. Toxin were separated by preparative TLC and crystallized from methanol.     

Vorkommen von Deoxynivalenol, Zearalenon und HT-2/T-2 Toxin in Getreide und Getreideerzeugnissen

Since February 2004 in Germany maximum limits forFusarium toxins do exist, while harmonised legislation within the EU was recently published and will come into force in July 2006. Meanwhile, the problematic nature ofFusarium mycotoxins is perceived by all participants of the processing chain of cereals. In this study the presence of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in comparison to the rarely investigated type A-trichothecenes (HT-2, T-2 toxin) in different cereal-products is discussed. About 1000 cereal-based samples have been analysed using a recently developed multitoxin method based on HPLC-MS/MS technique. Despite, up to now no concrete limit for HT-2/T-2 toxin is discussed, the degree of contamination is of special concern for food products dedicated to be placed on the market, to avoid possible risks for consumers. The used method proved to be extremely sensitive for T-2 toxin with a LOD below 1 μg/kg, therefore a comprehensive data set was achieved.     

Influence of T-2 and HT-2 Toxin on the Blood-Brain Barrier In Vitro: New Experimental Hints for Neurotoxic Effects

The trichothecene mycotoxin T-2 toxin is a common contaminant of food and feed and is also present in processed cereal derived products. Cytotoxic effects of T-2 toxin and its main metabolite HT-2 toxin are already well described with apoptosis being a major mechanism of action. However, effects on the central nervous system were until now only reported rarely. In this study we investigated the effects of T-2 and HT-2 toxin on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro. Besides strong cytotoxic effects on the BBB as determined by the CCK-8 assay, impairment of the barrier function starting at low nanomolar concentrations were observed for T-2 toxin. HT-2 toxin, however, caused barrier disruption at higher concentrations compared to T-2 toxin. Further, the influence on the tight junction protein occludin was studied and permeability of both toxins across the BBB was detected when applied from the apical (blood) or the basolateral (brain) side respectively. These results clearly indicate the ability of both toxins to enter the brain via the BBB.     

In Vitro Metabolism of T-2 Toxin

Incubation of T-2 toxin with the 9,000 x g supernatant fluid of both human and bovine liver homogenate resulted in conversion to a single, deacetylated product identified as HT-2 toxin. Metabolism is more rapid in human liver. HT-2 toxin was not produced when human plasma was the incubating medium nor was it produced by treatment of T-2 toxin with simulated gastric juice. T-2 toxin was stable in gastric juice for at least 1 h.     

Survey for Fusaria That Elaborate T-2 Toxin

Of the 136 strains of Fusarium examined, T-2 toxin was confirmed by thinlayer chromatography in 13 of the 21 extracts that inhibited either Rhodotorula rubra or Pencillium digitatum.     

Improved Skin Test for Detection of T-2 Toxin

A modified rat skin test based on dermatitic properties of trichothecenes is described which is quick, convenient, and sensitive to 0.05 mug of T-2 toxin.     

Isolation of Acetyl T-2 Toxin from Fusarium poae

Acetyl T-2 toxin (3,4,15-triacetoxy-8-isovaleroxy-12,13-epoxy-delta9-trichothecene) was isolated and characterized as a naturally occurring emetic trichothecene from liquid cultures of Fusarium poae (NRRL 3287). Acetyl T-2 toxin was shown to be much less toxic than T-2 toxin in pigeon assays.     

T-2 Toxin as an Emetic Factor in Moldy Corn

Extracts of Fusarium poae (NRRL 3287) grown either on sterile corn at 8 C or in Richards solution at room temperature were shown to have emetic activity in pigeons at nonlethal concentration under conditions of oral and intravenous administration. The causative agent was found to be T-2 toxin (3-hydroxy-4,15-diacetoxy-8-[3-methylbutyryloxy]-12,13-epoxy-Delta(9)-trichothecene). Oral and intravenous mean toxic dose values for this compound were found to be 0.72 and 0.15 mg/kg, respectively, as compared with an oral mean lethal dose of 2.75 mg/kg. The fact that T-2 toxin causes emesis at nonlethal concentrations may explain, at least in part, the observance of vomiting as a symptom resulting from ingestion of cereal grains infected with toxic Fusarium species containing T-2 or a similar toxin.     

Neural Disturbances in Chickens Caused by Dietary T-2 Toxin

Graded concentrations of dietary T-2 toxin (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mug/g) were fed to groups of 40 chickens. T-2 toxin was found to cause an abnormal positioning of the wings, hysteroid seizures, and impaired righting reflex in young chickens. The abnormal wing positioning occurred spontaneously or as the result of dropping from a height of 1 meter. The seizures could be elicited by rough handling or loud noises. The seizures and the abnormal wing posture would not occur again when the stimulus was repeated unless a rest period of 3 to 6 h was allowed. The loss of righting reflex could be demonstrated at any time. The total incidence of neural symptoms was dependent on the length of exposure to T-2 toxin and to its concentration. Neural toxicity occurred at dosages of 4, 8, and 16 mug per g of diet, which are the same doses that retard growth. This neural toxicity of T-2 toxin in chickens is similar to the neural disturbances associated with alimentary toxic aleukia, a nutritional toxicosis of humans produced by eating moldy grain. T-2 toxin has been implicated also in moldy corn toxicosis which has neural manifestations in horses and swine.     

Column Chromatography and Cell Culture Assay of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Toxin Z Preparations

Toxic material produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cell culture was concentrated and partially purified. This toxic material, designated toxin Z, was produced during the growth of strain PA Z or PA 103 in HEp-2 monolayer cultures using Eagle minimal essential medium with 10% serum. Toxin Z, concentrated fourfold by Lyphogel or ultrafiltration, was used to produce antiserum in rabbits and also was fractionated by column chromatography, Twentyfold purification of toxin Z was obtained on a Sephadex G-200 column. Toxic column fractions were confirmed to have toxin Z by neutralization with specific antiserum. During concentration, purification, and neutralization procedures, the toxin was assayed exclusively by the cytopathic effect it produced in cell culture.     

Production and characterization of antibodies against HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol tetraacetate

Three new immunogens which were prepared by conjugation of the carboxymethyl oxime (CMO) derivatives of HT-2 toxin, T-2 tetraol (T-2 4ol), and T-2 tetraol tetraacetate (T-2 4Ac) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) were tested for the production of antibodies against the major metabolites of T-2 toxin. Antibodies against HT-2 toxin and T-2 4Ac were obtained from rabbits 5 to 10 weeks after immunizing the animals with CMO-HT-2-BSA and CMO-T-2 4Ac-BSA conjugates. Immunization with CMO-T-2 4ol-BSA resulted in no antibody against T-2 4ol. The antibody produced against HT-2 toxin had great affinity for HT-2 toxin as well as good cross-reactivity with T-2 toxin. The relative cross-reactivities of anti-HT-2 toxin antibody with HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, iso-T-2 toxin, acetyl-T-2 toxin, 3'-OH HT-2, 3'-OH T-2, T-2 triol, and 3'-OH acetyl-T-2, were 100, 25, 10, 3.3, 0.25, 0.15, 0.12 and 0.08%, respectively. Antibody against CMO-T-2 4Ac was very specific for T-2 4Ac and had less than 0.1% cross-reactivity with T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, acetyl-T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, deoxynivalenol, and deoxynivalenol triacetate as compared with T-2 4Ac. The detection limits for HT-2 toxin and T-2 4ol by radioimmunoassay were approximately 0.1 and 0.5 ng per assay, respectively.     

Production and characterization of antibodies against HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol tetraacetate.

Three new immunogens which were prepared by conjugation of the carboxymethyl oxime (CMO) derivatives of HT-2 toxin, T-2 tetraol (T-2 4ol), and T-2 tetraol tetraacetate (T-2 4Ac) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) were tested for the production of antibodies against the major metabolites of T-2 toxin. Antibodies against HT-2 toxin and T-2 4Ac were obtained from rabbits 5 to 10 weeks after immunizing the animals with CMO-HT-2-BSA and CMO-T-2 4Ac-BSA conjugates. Immunization with CMO-T-2 4ol-BSA resulted in no antibody against T-2 4ol. The antibody produced against HT-2 toxin had great affinity for HT-2 toxin as well as good cross-reactivity with T-2 toxin. The relative cross-reactivities of anti-HT-2 toxin antibody with HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, iso-T-2 toxin, acetyl-T-2 toxin, 3'-OH HT-2, 3'-OH T-2, T-2 triol, and 3'-OH acetyl-T-2, were 100, 25, 10, 3.3, 0.25, 0.15, 0.12 and 0.08%, respectively. Antibody against CMO-T-2 4Ac was very specific for T-2 4Ac and had less than 0.1% cross-reactivity with T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, acetyl-T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, deoxynivalenol, and deoxynivalenol triacetate as compared with T-2 4Ac. The detection limits for HT-2 toxin and T-2 4ol by radioimmunoassay were approximately 0.1 and 0.5 ng per assay, respectively.     

Subclinic effect of the administration of T-2 Toxin and Nivalenol in mice

Four experiments using T-2 toxin and nivalenol at different dosage, which represented the 25% and 40% of the LD50 (experiment A: 1.04 mg of T-2 toxin per kilogram of body weight, experiment B: 2.34 mg of T-2 toxin/kg b.w., experiment C: 1.04 mg of T-2 toxin/kg b. w. and 2.34 mg of T-2 toxin/kg b.w.; experiment D: 0.82 mg of nivalenol/kg b.w. and 1.845 mg of nivalenol/kg b.w.) were conducted on 400 mice. Both toxins were administered to mice of different ages (experiments A and B were adults, experiment C and D were young) by intraperitoneal single injection, and the clinical signs, hematological variables and histoanatomo pathological changes were studied. All animals survived. No changes anatomo-histopathological nor significative differences in weight gain were observed. Different behaviors were found for nivalenol and T-2 toxin. The most significant change was the increase in the level of monocytes in old animals, so this could be a biological indicator for T-2 toxin subclinical intoxication.     

Preliminary investigation of quantified detection of airborne T-2 and HT-2 toxins in one henhouse

A total of 40 air samples were collected by AGI-30, 20 in November in 2009 and 20 in April in 2010 from one henhouse in Dalian, which is a seashore city belonging to marine climate in northeast of China. The henhouse feed more than five thousand layer chickens, and its floor area is 500 m². Since a long exposure to the henhouse air, twelve drinking water samples of these 2 months were also collected to detect the level of the two toxins. High-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and 1-antroylnitrile (1-AN) as labeling reagent after immunoaffinity cleanup was used for the detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins. The results of this work showed that the concentration of airborne T-2 and HT-2 toxins was higher in the sites 500 m away from the doorway than that 250 m away from the doorway, and no toxins were detected at gate. Toxins collected in April were much higher than that in November. The highest concentration of T-2 and HT-2 in henhouse was 9.39 and 27.83 ng/m³, respectively.     

Fusarium tricinctum T-2 Toxin Inhibits Auxin-promoted Elongation in Soybean Hypocotyl

T-2 toxin, a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium tricinctum, inhibited elongation of excised hypocotyl sections of Glycine max var. Hawkeye 63. Auxin-promoted elongation was inhibited more severely than was control elongation, and a 1 hour preincubation of 5 μm toxin prevented the induction of a faster rate of elongation by auxin. While the inhibition of elongation by cytokinin was similar to that of the toxin, the mode of action of the two compounds appeared to be different, i.e. their effects on elongation were additive, and only kinetin promoted radial enlargement. Toxin treatment did not diminish cytokinin-induced radial enlargement. The properties of the plasma membrane, as measured by electrolyte leakage, were not affected by the toxin.     

Structures of deepoxytrichothecene metabolites from 3'-hydroxy HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol in rats

3'-Hydroxy HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol, in vivo metabolites of T-2 toxin, were orally administered to Wistar rats, and four metabolites having a trichothec-9,12-diene nucleus, which were termed deepoxytrichothecenes, were newly found in the excreta. Their structures were confirmed as 3'-hydroxy-deepoxy HT-2, 3'-hydroxy-deepoxy T-2 triol, 15-acetyl-deepoxy T-2 tetraol, and deepoxy T-2 tetraol on the basis of mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Resolution of T-2 metabolites and corresponding deepoxytrichothecenes by gas-liquid and thin-layer chromatography was also described.     

Study on the Apoptosis Mechanism Induced by T-2 Toxin

T-2 toxin is known to induce apoptosis in mammalian cells. The mechanism of apoptosis induced by T-2 toxin has been proposed to be linked with oxidative stress and mitochondrial pathway. In the current study, the toxic effect of T-2 on Hela, Bel-7402, and Chang liver cells was examined in dose-dependent and time-dependent manner by MTT assay. Caspase-3 was found to be up-regulated under T-2 toxin stress, which suggested that T-2 toxin induced cell apoptosis. Endogenous GSH and MDA levels in all three cell lines were found down- and up-regulated respectively, which indicated the link between toxic effect of T-2 toxin and intracellular oxidative stress. It was also found by MTT assay that NAC, which maintained the level of GSH in cells, could protect cells from death. Western-blot result showed that the level of both activated Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 increased when cells were treated by T-2 toxin. Caspase-9 was found to be activated earlier than Caspase-8. It was also found that p53 was up-regulated under T-2 toxin stress in the study. These results implied that the effect of T-2 toxin on cells was apoptosis rather than necrosis, and it was probably induced through mitochondrial pathway. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to show that JunD is down-regulated in T-2 toxin induced apoptosis. By construction of an over-expression vector for the JunD gene, we observed that the survival ratio of JunD over-expressed cells obviously increased under T-2 toxin stress. These results suggested that the mechanism of T-2 induced cell death was closely connected with oxidative stress, and that JunD plays an important role in the defensive process against T-2 toxin stress.     

T-2 Toxin Production by Fusarium tricinctum on Solid Substrate

A method has been developed to produce and purify gram quantities of T-2 toxin [4beta, 15-diacetoxy-8alpha-(3-methylbutyryloxy)-12, 13-epoxytrichothec-9-en-3alpha-ol], a mycotoxin elaborated by a strain of Fusarium tricinctum isolated from toxic corn. After growing for 3 weeks at 15 C on 1,200 g of white corn grits, F. tricinctum NRRL 3299 elaborated at least 9.0 g of T-2 toxin, and 2.3 g of crystalline product was recovered. A lesser amount of toxin was produced on rice, but none was detected in wheat incubated at 20 C. The amount of toxin measured in white corn grits declined as the incubation temperature was raised to 20, 25, and 32 C.     

Structures of deepoxytrichothecene metabolites from 3'-hydroxy HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol in rats.

3'-Hydroxy HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol, in vivo metabolites of T-2 toxin, were orally administered to Wistar rats, and four metabolites having a trichothec-9,12-diene nucleus, which were termed deepoxytrichothecenes, were newly found in the excreta. Their structures were confirmed as 3'-hydroxy-deepoxy HT-2, 3'-hydroxy-deepoxy T-2 triol, 15-acetyl-deepoxy T-2 tetraol, and deepoxy T-2 tetraol on the basis of mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Resolution of T-2 metabolites and corresponding deepoxytrichothecenes by gas-liquid and thin-layer chromatography was also described.