Toxicol Res.  2012 Dec;28(4):279-288.

Zearalenone Affects Immune-Related Parameters in Lymphoid Organs and Serum of Rats Vaccinated with Porcine Parvovirus Vaccine

• Choi BK
• Cho JH
• Jeong SH
• Shin HS
• Son SW
• Yeo YK
• Kang HG

Abstract

Rats were administered zearalenone (ZEA) via gavage at dosages of 0, 1, 5, and 30 mg/kg for 36 days. On treatment day 8, inactivated porcine parvovirus vaccine (Vac) was injected intraperitoneally. Antibody production against porcine parvovirus was then measured as a function of ZEA treatment. Compared to the vaccine alone, ZEA treatment, with or without Vac, decreased the serum level of IgG. The level of IgM decreased in all ZEA groups at day 22, but the decrease was sustained only in the medium-dose ZEA group at day 36. The level of IgA was unchanged in the Vac only and ZEA groups at day 22, but was decreased in the 5 mg/kg ZEA plus Vac group compared to the Vac only group at day 36. The level of IgE was decreased by all doses of ZEA at day 22, but was unaffected in ZEA plus Vac groups compared to the Vac only group. The levels of IL-1 in the thymus and spleen; INF-gamma in serum; IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10 in the thymus; and IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the spleen decreased after ZEA administration. Furthermore, the levels of IL-1beta in the spleen and mesenteric lymph node, IL-1beta in the thymus, IL-2 in the thymus and spleen, IL-6 in the thymus, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the spleen, and GM-CSF and TNF-alpha in the thymus decreased after vaccination in rats exposed to ZEA. In conclusion, these results suggest that ZEA exposure via drinking water can cause an immunosuppressive effect by decreasing immunoglobulins in serum and cytokines in lymphoid organs.

Keyword

Zearalenone; Wistar rat; Immune parameters; Cytokines; Immunoglobulin

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antibody Formation
Cytokines
Drinking Water
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin E
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
Immunoglobulins
Interleukin-1
Interleukin-10
Interleukin-2
Interleukin-6
Lymph Nodes
Parvovirus, Porcine
Rats
Spleen
Thymus Gland
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Vaccination
Zea mays
Zearalenone
Cytokines
Drinking Water
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin E
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
Immunoglobulins
Interleukin-1
Interleukin-10
Interleukin-2
Interleukin-6
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Zearalenone