zearalenol and Weight-Gain

This study demonstrates that low doses (somewhat above the No Observed Adverse Effect Level, NOAEL) of the mycoestrogen zearalenone (ZEN) and its metabolites display multispecificity towards various biological targets in gilts. The observed responses in gilts were surprising. The presence of ZEN and zearalenols (ZELs) did not evoke a response in the porcine gastrointestinal tract, which was attributed to dietary tolerance. Lymphocyte proliferation was intensified in jejunal mesenteric lymph nodes, and lymphocyte counts increased in the jejunal epithelium with time of exposure. In the distal digestive tract, fecal bacterial counts decreased, the activity of fecal bacterial enzymes and lactic acid bacteria increased, and cecal water was characterized by higher genotoxicity. The accompanying hyperestrogenism led to changes in

Topics: Animals; Cell Proliferation; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; Intestine, Small; Lymph Nodes; Lymphocytes; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Receptors, Estrogen; Receptors, Progesterone; Swine; Weight Gain; Zearalenone; Zeranol