زیرالنون

Wheat is one of the most important cereals due to the supply of much of the flour used in bread making in most countries, such as Iran. Wheat contamination with mycotoxins is subject to different production and maintenance conditions. As a carcinogen and mutagen, monitoring the amount of mycotoxins in imported wheat and prevention of the entry of low quality wheat to the food chain are essential. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the contamination of the wheat imported to Mazandaran province.
Samples of the wheat imported from Caspian Sea countries were evaluated for moisture content and mycotoxins contamination (ochratoxin A, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol). Mycotoxins contamination was determined by HPLC method via purifying with immunoaffinity column for ochratoxin A and zearalenone, and DONSPE column for deoxynivalenol.
The results of this study showed that the average of ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol in the samples were 2.24, 133.50 and 181.66 ng/g, respectively.
All the samples were within the acceptable level for mycotoxin according to the permissible limits of Iran National Standard. Additionally, a direct relation between deoxynivalenol and moisture content of the samples (-0.092) was not observed and the correlation between moisture content and ochratoxin A and zearalenone was 0.104 and 0.168, respectively.

Exposure to estrogen like chemicals during critical periods of development particularly in the neonatal period can disrupt normal patterns of mammary tissue development later in life. In this study, the effects of neonatal exposure of tamoxifen anti-estrogen and zearalenone mycoestrogen on some histological characteristics of mammary gland in female mouse were investigated.
Twenty newborn female mice of BALB/c strain were divided into four groups: three experimental and one control group (with no treatment). Treatment groups included Tamoxifen (400 μg /kg /day) group, Zearalenone treatment group (2 mg /kg /day) and group treated with tamoxifen췦꭪垧ꉷ treatment group. Daily treatments were started on the first day of life and continued up to 5 subcutaneously. Then about 70 days after birth, mice were deeply anesthetized and the mammary tissue was removed from the body. Following histochemical staining, the samples were studied using light and transmission electron microcopies.
Findings: The result showed that epithelial thickness of milk duct and volume of the nipple in tamoxifen treatment group significantly (pDiscusion & The results of this study show that neonatal administration of tamoxifen probably exerts anti-estrogenic effects and it prevents the normal development of mammary tissue, but zearalenone do not have adverse consequences on mammary tissue.

It is well known that exposure to estrogenic compounds during critical and sensitive periods of lifespan could result in adverse effects on the development and function of reproductive system. In the present study, we examined the effects of neonatal mycoestrogens Zearalenone (Zen) and alpha-zearalenol (α-Zol) exposure on the onset of puberty and reproductive parameters such as estrous cycle and ovarian follicle pool in female mice.
Pups were injected subcutaneously at postnatal days (PND) 1-5 with sesame oil, estradiol benzoate (EB, 20µg/kg bw), Zen (0.2, 1, 2mg/kg bw) and alpha-Zol(0.2, 1, 2mg/kg bw). The control group received no treatment. Vaginal opening and estrous cycle were monitored from PND 23 to 70. Animals were sacrificed at PND 70, and blood and ovary were collected.
Finding: Advanced vaginal opening, disrupted estrous cycles and decreased follicular pool were significantly observed in EB, 1 and 2 Zen and 1 and 2 α-Zol. Also, LH and estradiol levels impaired.
Discussion & Neonatal exposure to mycoestrogens accelerated the onset of puberty but decreased reproductive parameters in female mice. These alterations could result from disruption anywhere within the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadalaxis in particular estrogen-sensitive neuronal populations of hypothalamus.

The uterus as the major female reproductive organ is particularly vulnerable to environmental and hormonal like compounds. Exposure to estrogen like disrupting chemicals during critical periods of development especially in the neonatal period can have adverse effects on reproduction and fertility later in life. In this study, the effects of neonatal exposure of mycoestrogen zearalenone and anti-estrogen tamoxifen on some histological characteristics of the uterus in female mice were investigated.
Material and 28 newborn female mice of BALB/c strain were divided into four groups (n=7): three experimental and one control group. Treatment Groups included Tamoxifen (400 μg /kg /day) group, group treated with zearalenone (2 mg /kg /day) and group treated with tamoxifen zearalenone. Control mice received no treatment. Daily treatments was started first day of life and continued up to 5 subcutaneously. Then about 70 days after birth in diestrous stage of estrous cycle, mice were deeply anesthetized and uterus was removed from the body. Following histochemical staining, the samples were studied using light and transmission electron microcopies.
The result of this study showed that in between the treatment groups, body weight decreased significantly (P>0.05) in group which received Tamoxifen, compared with control group. Uterus weight increased significantly in Zearalenone group (P>0.05) and Tamoxifen Zearalenone group (P>0.01). Endometrial thickness increased significantly (P>0.05) in group which received Tamoxifen and decreased significantly (P>0.05) in group which received Zearalenone. In addition, myometrial thickness decreased significantly (P>0.05) in group which received Zearalenone compared with control group. The study of electron microscopy showed that the number of cells of uterine luminal epithelial structure increased in the group treated with Tamoxifen compared with control group.
The result of present study indicates that neonatal administration of Tamoxifen and Zearalenone compounds cause histological lesions in uterus structure. Because of the estrogenic nature of zearalenone, the treated neonatal mice with this mycotoxin cause structural abnormalities especially in myometrial structure. On the other hand, Tamoxifen as an estrogenic agonist cause endometrial thickness increase and alterations in the uterus.

Zearalenone is an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species and is of particular interest because of its widespread occurrence and strong estrogenic effects. Wheat and its flour is amongst the most important food and feeds sources that may become contaminated with zearalenone. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the zearalenone concentration in wheat flour. After extraction of zearalenone from wheat flour samples with extraction solvent acetonitrile - water, toxin purification step was conducted using immunoaffinity columns. Samples were analyzed by HPLC using C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm ID, 5µm) with a fluorescence detector, mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (3:2 v/v) at flow rate of 1ml/min. Results of the study showed that the level of found zearalenone in 5% of the samples was higher than maximum level of 200 μg/kg. The mean concentration of zearalenone in samples was 54 µg/kg. LOD and LOQ of this method were 3.5 and 10 ng/g respectively. Although the mean concentration of zearalenone in investigated wheat flour samples was lower than the maximum level recommended by the Codex Alimentations, but high incidence of zearalenone in these samples indicates the need for improving storage conditions in order to reduce the incidence and level of zearalenone contamination in samples