Immune modulatory effects of the foodborne contaminant citrinin in mice

► Citrinin differentially modulates the immune system in mice. ► It induced apoptosis in the spleen, MLN and Peyer's patches and regulated the immune cells. ► It modulated of cytokine production in murine macrophage cell line after pre-exposure to TLR ligands. ► It caused autophagy and altered TLR expression in spleen and MLN. ► These effects may affect human and animal health and contribute to increase susceptibility to infections.