Humans significantly metabolize and excrete the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol and its modified form deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside within 24 hours

Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 27;8(1):5255. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23526-9.

Abstract

For the first time, a comprehensive human intervention study was conducted to unravel the urinary excretion profile and metabolism of the fungal metabolite deoxynivalenol (DON) and its modified form deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3-glucoside). Twenty volunteers were restricted in consuming cereals and cereal-based foods for 4 days. At day 3, a single bolus of 1 µg/kg body weight of DON and a single bolus of 1 µg/kg body weight of DON-3-glucoside after a washing-out period of two months was administered, and a 24-h urine collection was performed. The urine was analysed for DON, DON-3-glucoside, 3-ADON, 15-ADON, deepoxy-deoxynivalenol (DOM-1), deoxynivalenol-3-glucuronide (DON-3-glucuronide) and deoxynivalenol-15-glucuronide (DON-15-glucuronide). The urinary biomarker-analysis revealed that DON and DON-3-glucoside were rapidly absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted. Sixty-four % of the administered DON and 58% of DON-3-glucoside was recovered in the urine collected within 24 h. DON-15-glucuronide was the most prominent urinary biomarker followed by free DON and DON-3-glucuronide. Moreover, correlations among the presence of DON-15-glucuronide and DON-3-glucuronide were observed (within 24 hours (r = 0.61)). The DOM-1 detected in the urine was higher after the DON-3-glucoside administration. The obtained results are imperative to construct a standardized method to estimate DON-intake by means of urinary biomarkers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Biomarkers / urine
  • Diet
  • Female
  • Food Microbiology
  • Glucosides / metabolism
  • Glucosides / urine*
  • Glucuronides / metabolism
  • Glucuronides / urine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycotoxins / metabolism
  • Mycotoxins / urine*
  • Trichothecenes / metabolism
  • Trichothecenes / urine*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Glucosides
  • Glucuronides
  • Mycotoxins
  • Trichothecenes
  • deoxynivalenol-15-glucuronide
  • deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside
  • deoxynivalenol