In vitro: |
J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Apr 4;60(13):3424-31. | Metabolites from Aspergillus fumigatus, an endophytic fungus associated with Melia azedarach, and their antifungal, antifeedant, and toxic activities.[Pubmed: 22409377] | These isolated compounds were evaluated for in vitro antifungal activities against some phytopathogenic fungi, toxicity against brine shrimps, and antifeedant activities against armyworm larvae (Mythimna separata Walker).
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Among them, sixteen compounds showed potent antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi (Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria solani, Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum, and Gibberella saubinettii), and four of them, 12β-hydroxy-13α-methoxyverruculogen TR-2 (6), Fumitremorgin B (7), verruculogen (8), and helvolic acid (39), exhibited antifungal activities with MIC values of 6.25-50 μg/mL, which were comparable to the two positive controls carbendazim and hymexazol. In addition, of eighteen that exerted moderate lethality toward brine shrimps, compounds 7 and 8 both showed significant toxicities with median lethal concentration (LC(50)) values of 13.6 and 15.8 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, among nine metabolites that were found to possess antifeedant activity against armyworm larvae, compounds 7 and 8 gave the best activity with antifeedant indexes (AFI) of 50.0% and 55.0%, respectively. Structure-activity relationships of the metabolites were also discussed. | J Food Prot. 2003 Nov;66(11):2123-9. | Genotoxicity assessment of five tremorgenic mycotoxins (fumitremorgen B, paxilline, penitrem A, verruculogen, and verrucosidin) produced by molds isolated from fermented meats.[Pubmed: 14627292] | A number of toxinogenic fungal species, particularly producers of tremorgenic mycotoxins, have been isolated from traditional fermented meats. Tremorgenic mycotoxins are a group of fungal metabolites known to act on the central nervous system, causing sustained tremors, convulsions, and death in animals.
However, the mode of action of these mycotoxins has not been elucidated in detail, and their genotoxic capacity has hardly been investigated.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Because genotoxicity is one of the most prominent toxicological end points in food safety testing, we assessed the genotoxicity of five tremorgenic mycotoxins (fumitremorgen B, paxilline, penitrem A, verrucosidin, and verruculogen) associated with molds found in fermented meats. The mycotoxins were tested in two short-term in vitro assays with the use of different genotoxic end points in different phylogenetic systems (the Ames Salmonella/mammalian-microsome assay and the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay of human lymphocytes). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results obtained in this study, all of the investigated mycotoxins except penitrem A exhibited a certain degree of genotoxicity.
Verrucosidin appeared to have the highest toxic potential, testing positive in both assays.
Verruculogen tested positive in the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome assay, and paxilline and fumitremorgen B caused DNA damage in human lymphocytes. The use of fungal starter cultures to avoid tremorgen contamination in fermented meats is recommended. |
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