High resolution-ion mobility mass spectrometry as an additional powerful tool for structural characterization of mycotoxin metabolites

This work was designed as a proof of concept, to demonstrate the successful use of the comparison between theoretical and experimental collision cross section (CCS) values to support the identification of isomeric forms. To this purpose, thirteen mycotoxins were considered and analyzed using drift time ion mobility mass spectrometry. A good linear correlation (r2= 0.962) between theoretical and experimental CCS was found. The average Î\u94CCS was 3.2%, fully consistent with the acceptability threshold value commonly set at 5%. The agreement between theoretical and experimental CCS obtained for mycotoxin glucuronides suggested the potential of the CCS matching in supporting the annotation procedure

The Effect of Mycotoxins and Silymarin on Liver Lipidome of Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Milk thistle-based dietary supplements have become increasingly popular. The extract from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is often used for the treatment of liver diseases because of the presence of its active component, silymarin. However, the co-occurrence of toxic mycotoxins in these preparations is quite frequent as well. The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in composition of liver lipidome and other clinical characteristics of experimental mice fed by a high-fat methionine-choline deficient diet inducing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The mice were exposed to (i) silymarin, (ii) mycotoxins (trichothecenes, enniatins, beauvericin, and altertoxins) and (iii) both silymarin and mycotoxins, and results were compared to the controls. The liver tissue extracts were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Using tools of univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, we were able to identify 48 lipid species from the classes of diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, free fatty acids, fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids and phospholipids clearly reflecting the dysregulation of lipid metabolism upon exposure to mycotoxin and/or silymarin

Mycotoxins in Plant-Based Dietary Supplements: Hidden Health Risk for Consumers

Mycotoxin contamination of dietary supplements represents a possible risk for human health, especially in the case of products intended for people suffering from certain health conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this problem based on analyses of a wide set of herbal-based dietary supplements intended for various purposes: (i) treatment of liver diseases (milk thistle); (ii) reduction of menopause effects (red clover, flax seed, and soy); and (iii) preparations for general health support (green barley, nettle, goji berries, yucca, etc.) The analytical method including 57 mycotoxins was based on a QuEChERS-like (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) approach and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The main mycotoxins determined were <i>Fusarium</i> trichothecenes, zearalenone and enniatins, and <i>Alternaria</i> mycotoxins. Co-occurrence of enniatins, HT-2/T-2 toxins, and <i>Alternaria</i> toxins was observed in many cases. The highest mycotoxin concentrations were found in milk thistle-based supplements (up to 37 mg/kg in the sum)