biostudies-literatureUnknown15(6)Ruan HZearalenone (ZEN), a prevalent mycotoxin contaminating food and known for its intestinal toxicity, has been suggested as a potential risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), although the exact relationship between ZEN exposure and IBD remains unclear. In this study, we established a rat model of colon toxicity induced by ZEN exposure to investigate the key targets of ZEN-induced colon toxicity and explore the underlying connection between ZEN exposure and IBD. Histological staining of the rat colon revealed significant pathological changes resulting from ZEN exposure (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Furthermore, the proteomic analysis demonstrated a notable upregulation of protein expression levels, specifically STAT2 (0.12 ± 0.0186), STAT6 (0.36 ± 0.0475) and ISG15 (0.43 ± 0.0226) in the rat cToxins392https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10304514biostudies-literatureZearalenone Exposure Disrupts STAT-ISG15 in Rat Colon: A Potential Linkage between Zearalenone and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.PMC10304514Tian JWu JZhang FRuan HXia JLuo JYang MJin ZfalseZearalenone Exposure Disrupts STAT-ISG15 in Rat Colon: A Potential Linkage between Zearalenone and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Zearalenone (ZEN), a prevalent mycotoxin contaminating food and known for its intestinal toxicity, has been suggested as a potential risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), although the exact relationship between ZEN exposure and IBD remains unclear. In this study, we established a rat model of colon toxicity induced by ZEN exposure to investigate the key targets of ZEN-induced colon toxicity and explore the underlying connection between ZEN exposure and IBD. Histological staining of the rat colon revealed significant pathological changes resulting from ZEN exposure (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Furthermore, the proteomic analysis demonstrated a notable upregulation of protein expression levels, specifically STAT2 (0.12 ± 0.0186), STAT6 (0.36 ± 0.0475) and ISG15 (0.43 ± 0.0226) in the rat c2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Jun2025-04-26T21:09:58.005Z2025-02-19T03:20:47.499ZS-EPMC103045143736869310.3390/toxins15060392