Plant mycotoxins

Pathological syndromes may result in muscular spasm, as seen in the exertional myopathies, or weakness, as seen in hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). Similarly, infectious diseases may result in muscular rigidity (C. tetani infection (tetanus)) or paralysis (C. botulinum intoxication (botulism)). Overt rhabdomyolysis may result from the ingestion of the coccidiostats monensin, rumensin and lasalocid, or one of a number of plant mycotoxins. Dietary deficiencies of selenium or vitamin E have also been described as having severe deleterious effects on skeletal muscle health. 

Carod Artal, F. 2003. Neurological syndromes associated with the ingestion of plants and fungi with a toxic component (II). Hallucinogenic fungi and plants, mycotoxins and medicinal herbs. Review [in Spanish]. Rev. Neurol. 36, 10. 

Manual transfer of the chromatographically separated substance to the detector . These include, for example, the detection of antibiotically active substances, plant and animal hormones, mycotoxins, insecticides, spice and bitter principles and alkaloids. The frequency distribution of their employment is shown in Figure 54 [295]. 

A considerable number of mycotoxins that show high toxicity to vertebrates and/ or invertebrates are produced by organisms associated with crop plants (Flannigan 1991). There are many known cases of human poisoning caused by such compounds. There are three broad categories of mycotoxins represented here, based on the structures of the intermediates from which these secondary metabolites are derived. They are (1) compounds derived from polyketides, (2) terpenes derived from mevalonic acid, and (3) cyclic peptides and derivatives thereof. 

Flannigan, B. (1991). Mycotoxins In D MeUo J.P.F, Duffus, C.M., and Duffus, J.H. (Eds.) Toxic Substances in Crop Plants. London Royal Society of Chemistry, 226-250. 

Assessment of whether a chemical has the potential to cause adverse effects in humans arises usually from direct observation of an effect in animals or humans, such as the acute poisoning episodes that have occurred when potatoes contain high levels of glycoalkaloids. Epidemiological studies have also been used to infer a possible relationship between intake of a particular type of food, or constituent of that food, and the potential to cause an adverse effect. Such observations led to the characterisation of the aflatoxins as human carcinogens. However, natural toxic substances that occur in plant foods have often been identified through observations in animals, particularly farm animals. It was observations of adverse effects in farm animals that led to the further characterisation of the phytoestrogens and the mycotoxins. In other instances, the concern arises from the chemical similarity to other known toxins. 

D Mello J P F (2003), Mycotoxins in cereal grains, nuts and other plant products , Food Safety Contaminants and Toxins, CAB International, Wallingford, 65-90. 

D Mello J P F, Porter J K and Macdonald A M C (1997), Fusarium mycotoxins , in D Mello J P F, Handbook of Plant and Fungal Toxicants, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 287-301. 

Langseth W, Stenwig H, Stogn L and Mo E (1993), Growth of moulds and production of mycotoxins in wheat during drying and storage , Acta Scand., Section B, Soil Plant Sci. 43, 32-37. 

Magan N, Hope R, Colleate A and Baxter E S (2002), Relationship between growth and mycotoxin production by Fusarium species, biocides and environment , Europ. J. Plant Pathol., 108, 685-690. 

Simpson D R, Weston G E, Turner J A, Jennings P and Nicholson P (2001), Differential control of head blight pathogens of wheat by fungicides and consequences for mycotoxin contamination of grain , Europ. J. Plant Pathol., 107, 421-431. 

In spite of the fact that contamination of cereals and grains and related products with mycotoxins causes food and feed-bome intoxications in man and livestock, zearalenone in low concentrations can be treated as a plant hormone which influences the development and yield of crop plants (Biesaga-Koscielniak 2001). This review focuses on the effect of low doses of zearalenone on the stimulation of selected physiological processes in plants important for agriculture production. 

Bennett GA, Klich M (2003) Mycotoxins. Clin Microbiol Rev 16 497-516 Bennett GA, Shotweli OL (1979) Zearalenone in cereal grains. J Am Oil Chem Soc 56 812-819 Bernier G, Perillex C (2005) A physiological overview of the genetics of flowering time control. Plant Biotechnol J 3 3-16... 

Farnworth ER, Neish GA (1980) Analysis of corn seeds for fungi and mycotoxins. Can J Plant Sci 60 727-731... 

Fu YF, Han YZ, Zhao D-G, Meng F-J (2000) Zearalenone and flower bud formation in thin-cell layers of Nicotiana tabacum L. Plant Growth Regul 30 271-274 Hagler WM Jr, Towers NR, Mirocha CJ, Eppley RM, Bryden WL (2001) Zearalenone mycotoxin or mycoestrogen In Summerell BA, Leslie JF, Backhouse D, Bryden WL, Burgess LW (eds) Fusarium. Paul E. Nelson memorial symposium. APS Press, St. Paul, MN, pp 21-34... 

Magg T, Melchinger AE, Klein D, Bohn M (2002) Relationship between European com borer resistance and concentration of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. in grains of transgenic Bt maize hybrids, their isogenic counterparts, and commercial varieties. Plant Breed 121 146-154 Maheshwari N, Rajyalakshmi K, Baweja K, Dhir SK, Chowdhry CN, Maheshwari SC (1995) In vitro culture of wheat and genetic transformation - retrospect and prospect. Plant Sci 14 49-178... 

Air, water, soil, and food are all unavoidable components of the human environment. Each of those elements influences the quality of human life, and each of them may be contaminated. Food is not only the elementary source of nutrients, but may also contain natural chemical substances with toxic properties, e.g., cyanogenic glycosides (many plants), solanine (green parts of potatoes, sprouted potatoes, and potatoes stored in light), industrial pollutants (heavy metals), biogenic amines (fish), or mycotoxins (moldy foodstuffs). 

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