Some food-associated mycotoxins as potential risk factors in humans predisposed to chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases

Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites able to affect the functions of numerous tissues and organs in animals and humans, including intestinal and immune systems. However, the potential link between exposure to some mycotoxins and human chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, such as celiac and Crohn’s diseases or ulcerative colitis, has not been investigated. Instead, several theories based on bacterial, immunological or neurological events have been elaborated to explain the etiology of these pathologies. Here we reviewed the literature on mycotoxin-induced intestinal dysfunctions and compared these perturbations to the impairments of intestinal functions typically observed in human chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases. Converging evidence based on various cellular and animal studies show that several mycotoxins induce intestinal alterations that are similar to those observed at the onset and during the progression of inflammatory bowel diseases. Although epidemiologic evidence is still required, existing data are sufficient to suspect a role of some food-associated mycotoxins in the induction and/or persistence of human chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases in genetically predisposed patients.