About this Research Topic
Soil, air, water, food, feed, plants, microorganisms, and animals are all important sources of mycotoxins. Human beings can be exposed to mycotoxins through water consumption, food consumption, inhalation, and skin contact. Mycotoxins cause serious harm to human and animal health and cause economic loss. Therefore, toxicity of mycotoxins bears research significance.
Recent study of mycotoxins is progressed from a single toxin to the combination and co-existence of multiple toxins. Survey on occurrence of mycotoxins currently focuses on multiple-mycotoxins, highlighting the importance for combined toxicity investigation. Joint toxicity can hardly be estimated according to the toxicity of single mycotoxin. Accordingly, increasing studies pay attention to interaction of multiple mycotoxins, especially those with the same target organs and toxic pathways. On one hand, it is necessary to determine whether there is a relationship between the occurrence of different kinds of mycotoxins; on the other hand, whether the toxic effect, toxic pathway, metabolism, and transformation of a single toxin will be influenced by other toxins needs further study.
Contamination and Co-contamination of mycotoxins has been found in various products worldwide, including food or raw materials, food or feed products, and human metabolites. Aflatoxins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin are the five most important classes. Generally, the emergency of mycotoxins has regional characteristics and raw material characteristics. In order to evaluate toxic interaction of those toxins, developmental statistical models have been applied, including combination index (CI) models, summation of effects, the independent action (IA) model, the concentration addition (CA) model, central composite design (CCD), the MIXTOX model, etc. In addition, it is crucial to determine the biological model since it will significantly affect the evaluation results of mycotoxins.
Cell models (mainly 2D cell models) and animal models (including rats, mice, zebra fish, Caenorhabditis elegans, pigs, shrimps, rabbits, carp, etc.) are commonly used in toxicity study of mycotoxins. However, the traditional 2D in vitro models provide inadequate information such as cell function, metabolism, protein synthesis, etc. The 3D models are available for major organs involved in toxicology. 3D culture systems and even 4D bioprinting technology maybe ideal tools for toxicology study, but the defects are the lack of standardized characterization and analysis methods. Up to now, few 3D in vitro models have been used to study mycotoxins.
The research of mycotoxins combination is a new and important area in mycotoxin research. In order to reveal the potential harm of mycotoxins in the real environment, the interaction mechanisms and interaction effects of mycotoxins need to be addressed and clarified. This Research Topic will showcase the latest advances in individual and combined toxicity of mycotoxins, such as toxicity effects, toxicity mechanisms, evaluation methods, etc., and provide an invaluable source of up-to date information for analysts and researchers.
Recent study of mycotoxins is progressed from a single toxin to the combination and co-existence of multiple toxins. Survey on occurrence of mycotoxins currently focuses on multiple-mycotoxins, highlighting the importance for combined toxicity investigation. Joint toxicity can hardly be estimated according to the toxicity of single mycotoxin. Accordingly, increasing studies pay attention to interaction of multiple mycotoxins, especially those with the same target organs and toxic pathways. On one hand, it is necessary to determine whether there is a relationship between the occurrence of different kinds of mycotoxins; on the other hand, whether the toxic effect, toxic pathway, metabolism, and transformation of a single toxin will be influenced by other toxins needs further study.
Contamination and Co-contamination of mycotoxins has been found in various products worldwide, including food or raw materials, food or feed products, and human metabolites. Aflatoxins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin are the five most important classes. Generally, the emergency of mycotoxins has regional characteristics and raw material characteristics. In order to evaluate toxic interaction of those toxins, developmental statistical models have been applied, including combination index (CI) models, summation of effects, the independent action (IA) model, the concentration addition (CA) model, central composite design (CCD), the MIXTOX model, etc. In addition, it is crucial to determine the biological model since it will significantly affect the evaluation results of mycotoxins.
Cell models (mainly 2D cell models) and animal models (including rats, mice, zebra fish, Caenorhabditis elegans, pigs, shrimps, rabbits, carp, etc.) are commonly used in toxicity study of mycotoxins. However, the traditional 2D in vitro models provide inadequate information such as cell function, metabolism, protein synthesis, etc. The 3D models are available for major organs involved in toxicology. 3D culture systems and even 4D bioprinting technology maybe ideal tools for toxicology study, but the defects are the lack of standardized characterization and analysis methods. Up to now, few 3D in vitro models have been used to study mycotoxins.
The research of mycotoxins combination is a new and important area in mycotoxin research. In order to reveal the potential harm of mycotoxins in the real environment, the interaction mechanisms and interaction effects of mycotoxins need to be addressed and clarified. This Research Topic will showcase the latest advances in individual and combined toxicity of mycotoxins, such as toxicity effects, toxicity mechanisms, evaluation methods, etc., and provide an invaluable source of up-to date information for analysts and researchers.
Keywords: mycotoxin, toxicity, toxicology
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