The Effect of Mycotoxins and Their Mixtures on Bovine Spermatozoa Characteristics

Dorit Kalo; Paz Mendelson; Alisa Komsky-Elbaz; Hillary Voet; Zvi Roth

doi:10.3390/toxins15090556

The Effect of Mycotoxins and Their Mixtures on Bovine Spermatozoa Characteristics

Toxins (Basel). 2023 Sep 6;15(9):556. doi: 10.3390/toxins15090556.

Authors

Dorit Kalo¹, Paz Mendelson¹, Alisa Komsky-Elbaz¹, Hillary Voet², Zvi Roth¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Sciences, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
² Department of Agricultural Economics and Management, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.

Abstract

There is growing concern about the effects of mycotoxins on mammalian reproduction. Although the effects of single mycotoxins have been well documented, the impact of their mixtures on spermatozoon quality is less known. Here, frozen-thawed semen (n = 6 bulls) was in-vitro-cultured (2 h) without (control) or with (i) a single mycotoxin [zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), toxin 2 (T2), and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS)] in a dose-response manner; (ii) binary mixtures (OTA + T2, OTA + ZEN, OTA + DAS, ZEN + T2, DAS + T2 and ZEN + DAS); or (iii) ternary mixtures (OTA + DAS + T2, OTA + ZEN + T2, and ZEN + DAS + T2). Then, the spermatozoa quality was characterized according to its plasma- and acrosome-membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and oxidation status by a flow cytometer. Exposure to single mycotoxins or binary mixtures did not affect the spermatozoa characteristics. However, exposure to the ternary mixtures, OTA + DAS + T2 and OTA + ZEN + T2, reduced (p < 0.05) the mitochondrial membrane potential relative to the control. In addition, OTA + ZEN + T2 increased (p < 0.05) the proportion of spermatozoa with reactive oxygen species relative to the control. The most suggested interaction effect between the mycotoxins was found to be an additive one. A synergistic interaction, mainly regarding the oxidation status of the spermatozoa, was also found between the mycotoxins. The current study sheds light on the potential risk of exposing spermatozoa to a mycotoxin mixture.

Keywords: bovine; mycotoxin interactions; mycotoxin mixtures; mycotoxins; spermatozoa.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cattle
Male
Mammals
Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial
Mycotoxins* / toxicity
Plasma
Spermatozoa
Zearalenone*

Substances

Mycotoxins
Zearalenone

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Israel Dairy Board Research Fund (DBRF) (grant no. 820-0346-18). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.