Toxicity test of T-2 toxin on parental mice and their offspring / 中华地方病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of different doses of T-2 toxin on the expression of cytokines cytokines and pathological changes in parental mice and their offspring. Methods One hundred female mice and 25 male mice (CD-1, SPF) were adapted for one week. After regular random mating, observation of vaginal suppository within the first 24 hours was as the 0th day of pregnancy. The pregnant rats were divided into high dose, medium dose, low dose and control groups according to body weight by a random number table(Feed: the doses of T-2 toxin were 1 200, 600, 300, and 0 μg/kg, respectively), with 16 - 18 rats in each group. The high, middle and low dose groups began to consume the poisoned feed on the 0th day of pregnancy, while the control group consumed the standard feed. After natural delivery, their offspring were continually treated the same way as their mother until the offspring reached adulthood. Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), organ coefficient and pathological changes of articular cartilage were determined. Results The levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in the control, low, middle and high T-2 toxin groups during the pro-pregnancy of the middle-aged mice were [(219.56 ± 19.32), (136.89 ± 20.41), (210.49 ± 21.23), (207.41 ± 21.23); (192.73 ± 22.43), (136.25 ± 29.55), (187.43 ± 39.32), (232.48 ± 39.32); (1 303.02 ± 142.10), (1 072.60 ± 78.30), (1 065.03 ± 37.44), and (1 169.72 ± 104.18) ng/L], respectively. The differences between control and T-2 toxin treated groups were statistically significant (F = 17.124, 6.237, 7.670, P < 0.05). For further pairwise comparison,IL-1β and IL-6 in low dose group were significantly lower than those in control, middle and high dose groups (P < 0.05); TNF-α content in control group was significantly higher than those in low,middle and high dose groups(P<0.05).There were significant differences in the levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α between the control group and the low,middle and high dose groups of offspring weanling mice[(142.36 ± 13.36),(113.01 ± 8.65), (102.13 ± 8.31), (123.42 ± 10.41); (109.92 ± 9.76), (100.26 ± 15.60), (85.25 ± 9.97), (100.21 ± 16.46);(1 308.45 ± 204.90), (1 248.60 ± 96.85), (1 081.09 ± 105.51), (1 204.87 ± 153.96) ng/L, F = 49.823, 10.530, 7.490, P < 0.05]. The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in the control group were significantly higher than those in the low, middle and high dose groups(P < 0.05).The levels of TNF-α in the control group were significantly higher than those in the medium and high dose groups(P < 0.05).The levels of the three cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in adult filial mice were significantly different [(69.71 ± 9.61), (61.31 ± 10.07), (63.07 ± 10.39), (58.56 ± 9.69); (172.55 ± 24.55),(146.91 ± 13.47),(151.02 ± 24.93), (157.21 ± 17.86); (1 136.87 ± 137.39), (1 002.22 ± 86.52), (987.12 ± 130.80),(1 047.21 ± 171.64)ng/L, F=4.670,5.636, 4.775, P < 0.05], the contents of the three cytokines in the poisoning groups were significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The organ coefficients of thymus, spleen and liver in the second trimester were significantly different [(0.14 ± 0.03), (0.20 ± 0.06), (0.15 ± 0.02), (0.12 ± 0.03); (0.71 ± 0.16), (0.78 ± 0.14), (0.77 ± 0.15), (0.38 ± 0.10); (6.19 ± 0.43), (5.57 ± 0.57), (6.04 ± 0.32), (5.11 ± 0.29), F = 4.056, 11.064, 8.312, P < 0.05], and the thymus index was significantly increased in low dose group (P<0.05),spleen coefficient decreased significantly in high dose group (P < 0.05), and liver coefficients in low and high dose group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the offspring, the midbrain coefficient of viscera showed significant changes [(3.45 ± 0.73), (3.11 ± 0.31), (2.98 ± 0.45), (3.04 ± 0.22), F = 7.529, P < 0.05], which was significantly decreased in the exposed rats(P<0.05).Both the mid-pregnant mice and filial mice showed varying degrees of changes in epiphyseal cartilage injury. The degree of epiphyseal cartilage injury became higher with increasing dosages of T-2 toxin in mid-pregnancy and post-weaning parental mice, and the injury was more serious in post-weaning mice. Conclusions Exposure to T-2 toxin can cause decrease of cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the blood of CD-1 pregnant and filial mice, and also cause the cartilage damage in mice, which are aggravated following increased doses of T-2 toxin and extension of exposure time.