A Review of the Mycotoxin Enniatin B

Abstract

Mycotoxin enniatin B (ENN B) is a secondary metabolism product by Fusarium fungi. It is a well-known antibacterial, antihelmintic, antifungal, herbicidal, and insecticidal compound. It has been found as a contaminant in several food commodities, particularly in cereal grains, co-occurring also with other mycotoxins. The primary mechanism of action of ENN B is mainly due to its ionophoric characteristics, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the last two decades, it has been a topic of great interest since its potent mammalian cytotoxic activity was demonstrated in several mammalian cell lines. Moreover, the co-exposure in vitro with other mycotoxins enhances its toxic potential through synergic effects, depending on the concentrations tested. Despite its clear cytotoxic effect, European Food Safety Authority stated that acute exposure to ENNs, such as ENN B, does not indicate concern for human health, but a concern might be the chronic exposure. However, given the lack of relevant toxicity data, no firm conclusion could be drawn and a risk assessment was not possible. In fact, very few studies have been carried out in vivo and, in these studies, no adverse effects were observed. So, research on toxicological effects induced by ENN B is still on-going. Recently, some studies are dealing with new advances regarding ENN B. This review summarizes the information on biochemical and biological activity of ENN B, focusing on toxicological aspects and on the latest advances in research on ENN B.

Applicability of a food chain analysis on aquaculture of Atlantic salmon to identify and monitor vulnerabilities and drivers of change for the identification of emerging risks

“…confirm these findings (Prosperini et al, 2017). Nevertheless, these compounds may be considered as future emerging hazards.…”

Fusarium Molds and Mycotoxins: Potential Species-Specific Effects

“…Thus, ENN could be incorporated into the lipid bilayers of cell membranes acting as selective pores and increasing the permeability for alkali cations. This may lead to the alteration, as for BEA, of the intra and extra-cellular environment [ 202 , 203 ].…”

“…As for BEA, the mechanisms of action of ENN B include the induction of oxidative stress, the inhibition of acyl-CoA cholesterol acyl transferase (ACAT) enzyme, action on ABC transporters and apoptosis induction via alteration of the mitochondrial functions. The mitochondriotoxic action of this toxin is probably due to the cation ionophoric activity that allows K + influx into the mitochondria [ 202 ] and the Ca 2+ efflux, the latter through the permeability transition pore (PTP) that traverses both the inner and outer mitochondrial membrane causing the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential [ 203 ].…”

“…More studies are needed to better understand the species-specific action of these mycotoxins. To date, human colon intestinal Caco-2 cells have been the most used cell line in studies that applied ENN B alone, but ENN also proved to exert cytotoxic effects against several mammalian cell types [ 203 , 205 ], at quite low dosages (micromolar concentration).…”

The Fate of Mycotoxins During the Processing of Wheat for Human Consumption

“…They cover, for example, enniatins, beauvericin (BEA), and moniliformin (MON) (for an overview, see Jestoi, ). Enniatins can be produced by several fungal species including Fusarium spp., and the enniatin analogs enniatin A (EnnA), enniatin A1 (EnnA1), enniatin B (EnnB), and enniatin B1 (EnnB1) are reported to be the most prevalent ones in cereals in Europe (for more information, see Liuzzi et al., ; Prosperini et al., ). BEA is structurally similar to enniatins and these emerging mycotoxins often co‐occur, since they are probably produced by the same Fusarium species (Liuzzi et al., ; Luz, Saladino, Luciano, Mañes, & Meca, ).…”