Deoxynivalenol Induces Apoptosis via FOXO3a-Signaling Pathway in Small-Intestinal Cells in Pig

Tae Hong Kang; Kyung Soo Kang; Sang In Lee

doi:10.3390/toxics10090535

Deoxynivalenol Induces Apoptosis via FOXO3a-Signaling Pathway in Small-Intestinal Cells in Pig

Toxics. 2022 Sep 13;10(9):535. doi: 10.3390/toxics10090535.

Authors

Tae Hong Kang¹, Kyung Soo Kang², Sang In Lee¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju-si 37224, Korea.
² Department of Bio Life Sciences, Shingu College, Seongnam-si 13174, Korea.

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin that is found in feed ingredients derived from grains such as corn and wheat. Consumption of DON-contaminated feed has been shown to cause damage to the intestine, kidneys, and liver. However, the molecular mechanism by which DON exerts its effect in the small intestine is not completely understood. As a result, we profiled gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells treated with DON and examined the molecular function in vitro. We hypothesized that DON could induce apoptosis via the FOXO3a-signaling pathway in intestinal epithelial cells based on these findings. DON induced the apoptosis and the translocation of FOXO3a into the nucleus. Moreover, the inhibiting of FOXO3a alleviated the apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related genes (TRAL, BCL-6, CASP8, and CASP3). ERK1/2 inhibitor treatment suppressed the translocation of FOXO3a into the nucleus. Our discovery suggests that DON induces apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells through the FOXO3a-signaling pathway.

Keywords: Forkhead box; apoptosis; deoxynivalenol; differentially expressed genes.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2022R1I1A3070740).