Hazard characterization of Alternaria toxins to identify data gaps and improve risk assessment for human health

Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous plant pathogens and saprophytes which are able to grow under varying temperature and moisture conditions as well as on a large range of substrates. A spectrum of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with toxic potential has been identified, but occu...

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Published in:Archives of toxicology 2024-02, Vol.98 (2), p.425-469
Main Authors: Louro, Henriqueta, Vettorazzi, Ariane, López de Cerain, Adela, Spyropoulou, Anastasia, Solhaug, Anita, Straumfors, Anne, Behr, Anne-Cathrin, Mertens, Birgit, Žegura, Bojana, Fæste, Christiane Kruse, Ndiaye, Dieynaba, Spilioti, Eliana, Varga, Elisabeth, Dubreil, Estelle, Borsos, Eszter, Crudo, Francesco, Eriksen, Gunnar Sundstøl, Snapkow, Igor, Henri, Jérôme, Sanders, Julie, Machera, Kyriaki, Gaté, Laurent, Le Hegarat, Ludovic, Novak, Matjaž, Smith, Nicola M., Krapf, Solveig, Hager, Sonja, Fessard, Valérie, Kohl, Yvonne, Silva, Maria João, Dirven, Hubert, Dietrich, Jessica, Marko, Doris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternaria
Alternaria - metabolism
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cytotoxicity
Environmental Health
Food Contamination - analysis
Genotoxicity
Growth conditions
Hazard identification
Humans
Lactones - metabolism
Lactones - toxicity
Life Sciences
Metabolites
Mutagens - metabolism
Mutagens - toxicity
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins - analysis
Mycotoxins - toxicity
Occupational exposure
Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine
Perylene
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Quinones
Review
Review Article
Risk Assessment
Saprophytes
Secondary metabolites
Substrates
Tenuazonic acid
Toxicology
Toxins
Xenoestrogens
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Summary:Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous plant pathogens and saprophytes which are able to grow under varying temperature and moisture conditions as well as on a large range of substrates. A spectrum of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with toxic potential has been identified, but occurrence and relative proportion of the different metabolites in complex mixtures depend on strain, substrate, and growth conditions. This review compiles the available knowledge on hazard identification and characterization of Alternaria toxins. Alternariol (AOH), its monomethylether AME and the perylene quinones altertoxin I (ATX-I), ATX-II, ATX-III, alterperylenol (ALP), and stemphyltoxin III (STTX-III) showed in vitro genotoxic and mutagenic properties. Of all identified Alternaria toxins, the epoxide-bearing analogs ATX-II, ATX-III, and STTX-III show the highest cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potential in vitro . Under hormone-sensitive conditions, AOH and AME act as moderate xenoestrogens, but in silico modeling predicts further Alternaria toxins as potential estrogenic factors. Recent studies indicate also an immunosuppressive role of AOH and ATX-II; however, no data are available for the majority of Alternaria toxins. Overall, hazard characterization of Alternaria toxins focused, so far, primarily on the commercially available dibenzo-α-pyrones AOH and AME and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Limited data sets are available for altersetin (ALS), altenuene (ALT), and tentoxin (TEN). The occurrence and toxicological relevance of perylene quinone-based Alternaria toxins still remain to be fully elucidated. We identified data gaps on hazard identification and characterization crucial to improve risk assessment of Alternaria mycotoxins for consumers and occupationally exposed workers.
ISSN:0340-5761
1432-0738
1432-0738
DOI:10.1007/s00204-023-03636-8