zearalenone and Malnutrition

Immune stress can cause reproductive dysfunction. Some hypothalamic factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines play pivotal roles in reproductive disorders under immune stress conditions. Recently, it has been reported that prenatal undernutrition affects not only metabolic functions, but also the responses of physiological functions to immune stress in adulthood. In this study, the long-term effects of prenatal undernutrition on the responses of hypothalamic pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-6) expression; reproductive endocrine factors; i.e., the serum levels of gonadotropins and testosterone; and hypothalamic kisspeptin expression to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were examined in male rats. Pregnant rats were divided into two groups; i.e., the normally nourished group and the undernourished (50% food restricted) group. The offspring of the normally nourished mothers (control) and undernourished mothers (the intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR] group) were sub-divided into saline-injected and LPS (500 μg, i.p.)-injected groups at 10 weeks of age. The rats' hypothalamic pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels were measured and compared between the control and IUGR groups. The hypothalamic pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels of the LPS-injected rats were significantly higher than those of the saline-injected rats in both the control and IUGR groups. The changes in the hypothalamic expression level of TNF-α, but not those of the other cytokines, induced in response to LPS were more marked in the IUGR group than in the control group. On the other hand, although the serum LH and testosterone levels of the LPS-injected rats were significantly lower than those of the saline-injected rats in both the control and IUGR groups, their levels did not differ between the control and IUGR groups under the LPS-injected conditions. These results suggest that prenatal undernutrition results in more marked LPS-induced changes in hypothalamic TNF-α expression, but does not alter the effects of LPS on the serum levels of LH or testosterone, in adult male rats.

Topics: Animals; Female; Lipopolysaccharides; Luteinizing Hormone; Male; Malnutrition; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Testosterone; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Zearalenone

This study investigates the occurrence of aflatoxins in Ecuador. Early investigators proved the presence of aflatoxins in human and animal food, but the disturbing data lead to the formation of two research teams at Guayaquil University and the Agrarian University of Ecuador to investigate aflaxotins and other mycotoxins in food and their relationship to human health. Because the concept of mycotoxicosis as a result of the secondary metabolites produced by different species of moulds could cause different clinical patterns, the research team includes Aspergillus metabolites found in the urine of a patient with pulmonary aspergilloma. We considered that the body itself could create secondary metabolites. An ELISA method was used to detect mycotoxins with the specific reactive compounds using a company base assay. This allows the detection quantitative of such metabolites in 24 h collected urine. The patient was treated with itraconazole for nine months, after clinical, radiological and aflatoxins testing. We also investigated three other cases in children with a second level of malnutrition and only with vomitoxins results and in three investigated cases of otomycosis caused by Aspergillus niger only in one case traces of aflatoxins were found.

Topics: Adult; Aflatoxins; Aspergillosis; Child; Child, Preschool; Ecuador; Female; Food Contamination; Gastritis; Humans; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Male; Malnutrition; Middle Aged; Mycotoxicosis; Mycotoxins; Otitis Media; Rural Population; Trichothecenes; Zearalenone