Mycotoxin Contamination: Occurrence, Biotransformation, Pathogenic Mechanisms, and Strategies for Nutritional Intervention.

ABSTRACT: Mycotoxins, toxic fungal secondary metabolites, exhibit a diverse array of toxicological effects, including hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, estrogenicity, immunotoxicity, and neurotoxicity. These toxins cause severe contamination in food, feed, and traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), threatening global food security and imposing substantial economic burdens. Among over 400 distinct mycotoxins identified to date, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN) stand out for their pervasive contamination and grave toxicities. Upon absorption, these toxins undergo biotransformation into reactive metabolites that exert multifaceted toxicities via mechanisms such as carcinogenesis, estrogenic effects, oxidative stress, inflammation, and abnormal apoptosis, collectively threate

SUBMITTER: Yao C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12525999 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature