Toxicological interactions between the mycotoxins beauvericin, deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin in CHO-K1 cells in vitro

Beauvericin (BEA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 toxin (T-2) are important food-borne mycotoxins that have been implicated in human health. In this study, the acute toxicity of individual and combined mycotoxins (BEA, DON and T-2) were tested in immortalized hamster ovarian cells (CHO-K1) at 24, 48 and 72 h of exposure, by the tetrazolium salt (MTT) and neutral red (NR) assays. The IC50 values obtained for all mycotoxins by the MTT and NR assays ranged from 0.017 to 12.08 μM and from 0.042 to 17.22 μM, respectively. Both, individual and combined mycotoxins demonstrated a significant cytotoxic effect in CHO-K1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. When mycotoxins were assayed individually, T-2 showed the strongest IC50 values (from 0.017 to 0.052 μM), by both endpoints tested, followed by DON (0.53–2.30 μM) and BEA, showing this last one, the weakest IC50 values (from 2.77 to 17.22 μM). On the other hand, cytotoxicity interactions were evaluated by the isobologram method. In acute binary tests, DON + BEA (CI = 1.60–25.07) and DON + T-2 (CI = 1.74–7.71) showed antagonism at 24, 48 and 72 h of exposure. By contrast, the binary BEA + T-2 combination (CI = 0.35–0.78) showed synergism at all time of exposure tested. The tertiary BEA + DON + T-2 combination demonstrated synergism effect (CI = 0.47–0.86) after 24 and 48 h of exposure; however moderate antagonistic effect (CI = 1.14–1.60) was presented after 72 h of exposure at the lower doses. These results provide quantitative evidence regarding potentially important interactions between BEA, DON and T-2 depending of the time of exposure. The combination index-isobologram equation method can serve as a useful tool in food risk assessment. Due to the potent toxic effects of BEA, DON and T-2, its combined exposure might be an important trigger for development of several diseases in humans, from the mycotoxicological point of view, especially after long period of exposure time.

► Individual beauvericin, deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin are implicated in human health.
► Individual T-2 toxin had the strongest cytotoxic effect to CHO-K1 cells.
► Mycotoxin combinations increase toxicological effects.
► Binary DON combinations showed antagonistic effect.
► Binary (BEA + T-2) and tertiary (BEA + DON + T-2) combinations showed synergistic effect.