Effects of the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol on tissue protein synthesis in pigs

The Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol is known to be a potent protein synthesis inhibitor according to research in different in vitro and in vivo systems. However, the significance of this toxic feature was not yet evaluated for the pig. Therefore, an experiment was carried out to measure porcine tissue protein synthesis employing the so-called flooding dose technique using [2H5]-phenylalanine as tracer. A total of 25 male castrated pigs (initial weight of 23 kg) were used. Seventeen pigs were fed the control diet (control) and eight the Fusarium toxin-contaminated diet (chronic oral deoxynivalenol (DON)) for ∼4 wks. Pigs recruited from the control group were treated with acute oral (n = 7) and intravenous (i.v.) DON (n = 5), and were exposed to the toxin once on the day of protein synthesis measurement. The DON-dose given prior to the beginning of protein synthesis measurement amounted to 2, 77, 83 and 53 μg DON kg−1 live weight for the control group, chronic oral DON-group, acute oral DON-group and acute i.v. DON-group, respectively.Protein synthesis expressed as fractional synthesis rate (FSR) was significantly reduced in kidneys, spleen and ileum of DON-exposed pigs with effects being less pronounced in the acute oral DON-group. FSR of liver, skeletal and heart muscle, mesenteric lymph nodes, duodenum, jejunum, jejunal mucosa cells, pancreas and lung were not affected by DON.