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T-2 TOXIN-3#-GLUCOSIDE IN BROILER CHICKENS: TOXICOKINETICS, ABSOLUTE ORAL BIOAVAILABILITY AND IN VIVO HYDROLYSIS Nathan Broekaert, Mathias Devreese, Marthe De Boevre, Sarah De Saeger, and Siska Croubels J. Agric. Food Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • Publication Date (Web): 18 May 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on May 21, 2017
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T-2 TOXIN-3α α-GLUCOSIDE IN BROILER CHICKENS:
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TOXICOKINETICS, ABSOLUTE ORAL BIOAVAILABILITY
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AND IN VIVO HYDROLYSIS
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NATHAN BROEKAERT1, MATHIAS DEVREESE1*, MARTHE DE BOEVRE2, SARAH
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DE SAEGER2, SISKA CROUBELS1*
7 8
1
9
and Biochemistry, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology
10
2
11
Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Ghent University, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Bioanalysis,
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*
14
264 74 97 (corresponding authors)
[email protected];
[email protected], phone: +32 9 264 73 47, fax: +32 9
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Keywords
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Modified – Masked – Mycotoxin – Toxicokinetics
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Abstract
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Due to the lack of information on bioavailability and toxicity of modified mycotoxins,
20
current risk assessment on these modified forms assumes an identical toxicity of the
21
modified form to their respective unmodified counterparts.
22
Cross-over animal trials were performed with intravenous and oral administration of
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T-2 toxin (T-2) and T-2 toxin-3α-glucoside (T2-G) to broiler chickens. Plasma concentrations
24
of T2-G, T-2 and main phase I metabolites were quantified using a validated liquid
25
chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method with a limit of quantitation for all
26
compounds of 0.1 ng/mL. Resulting plasma concentration-time profiles were processed via
27
two-compartmental toxicokinetic models.
28
No T-2 triol and only traces of HT-2 were detected in the plasma samples after both
29
intravenous and oral administration. The results indicate that T-2 has a low absolute oral
30
bioavailability of 2.17±1.80%. For T2-G, an absorbed fraction of the dose and absolute oral
31
bioavailability of 10.4±8.7% and 10.1±8.5% were observed, respectively. This slight
32
difference is caused by a minimal (and neglectable) presystemic hydrolysis of T2-G to T-2, i.e.
33
3.49±1.19%. Although low, the absorbed fraction of T2-G is 5 times higher than that of T-2.
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These differences in toxicokinetics parameters between T-2 and T2-G clearly indicate the
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flaw in assuming equal bioavailability and/or toxicity of modified and free mycotoxins in
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current risk assessments.
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1. Introduction
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Fusarium is regarded as one of the most important mycotoxigenic fungi genera. It is
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known to produce several classes of mycotoxins of which the trichothecenes are the most
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important based on occurrence. From this class of mycotoxins, type A trichothecenes are the
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more toxic subclass. T-2 toxin (T-2) is the most acute toxic mycotoxin of the type A
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trichothecenes [33,34]. Although in general T-2 occurs less often than the type B
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trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON), several European surveys have reported T-2 incidences
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over 80% for certain cereals, and maximum concentrations up to 2,406 µg/kg have been
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observed in naturally contaminated oats [1-4].
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Poultry is considered to have a high exposure to T-2 as their diet is mainly cereal based.
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Toxic effects of T-2 in poultry consist of inhibition of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis;
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immunomodulation; gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial cell lesions and neural disturbances [5].
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Moreover, subclinical contamination levels have been found responsible for a decreased
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animal performance with impaired feed conversion ratios and reduced feed intake [6]. HT-2
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toxin (HT-2) is the main metabolite of T-2 and has a comparable toxicological profile and an
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acute toxicity in the same range as T-2 [7,8].
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For broiler chickens, first adverse effects like mucosal damage in the oral cavity occur at
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a dose of 40 µg/kg body weight (bw) per day. For laying hens, a reduction of the egg
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production and hatchability were observed at doses of 120 µg/kg bw per day [6]. Based on
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these data, the European Union issued indicative levels for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 in food
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and feed commodities, from above which investigations should be performed, certainly in
60
case of repetitive findings [9,10]. For poultry compound feed, the indicative level is set at
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250 µg T-2 + HT-2/kg feed.
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These indicative levels suggested by legislative authorities only take into account the free
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or parent mycotoxins, i.e. T-2 and HT-2. However, based on recent research this appears to
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be an incomplete approach, as additionally to free mycotoxins, food and feed are often co-
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contaminated with modified mycotoxins. For T-2 specifically, in planta glycosylation of the 3-
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hydroxyl group to T-2 toxin-3-glucoside (T2-G) is an important contributor to these modified
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forms. The occurrence of T2-G in naturally infected wheat and oats has been demonstrated
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by Busman et al. (2011) and further researched and quantified by Lattanzio et al.
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(2012)[11,12]. Based on high-resolution mass spectrometry experiments, peak area ratios
70
between glycosylated and free T2 and HT-2 in naturally contaminated wheat and oats
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indicated amounts of glycosylated T-2 and HT-2 as high as 27% of their deglycosylated
72
counterparts [12]. Furthermore, Busman et al. (2011) and Lattanzio et al. (2013) observed
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that glycosylation is not only part of a detoxification strategy by plants, but can also be a
74
relevant route of fungal metabolism [11, 13].
75
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently published a scientific opinion on
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modified mycotoxins. In this opinion, the relative contribution of modified forms of T-2 to
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the total occurrence of T-2 was calculated to be 10%. The risk of the T2-G contribution was
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assessed for humans and several animal species (pigs, ruminants, horses, poultry and dogs)
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where possible. The combined risk of T-2, HT-2 and their modified forms was found not to
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be of concern, except for the highest upperbound exposure for toddlers, with levels slightly
81
exceeding the tolerable daily intake (TDI). Furthermore, the risk assessment assumed that all
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modified forms have the same toxicity as their parent compounds, and this due to the lack
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of information on bioavailability and toxicity of these modified forms [1]. These knowledge
84
gaps thus pose an additional uncertainty on the derived conclusions of this scientific opinion.
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Indeed, as shown by several studies, some modified mycotoxins may have a significantly
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altered intrinsic toxicity and oral bioavailability; and in addition they may be subject to in
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vivo hydrolysis as well [14-16]. Furthermore, in vivo hydrolysis of modified mycotoxins can
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also be species dependent, for example broiler chickens do not hydrolyse DON-3-β-D-
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glucoside (DON3G) to DON to a substantial extent, in contrast to the complete presystemic
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hydrolysis in pigs [17].
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Regarding T2-G, first steps have been made by McCormick et al. (2015) with an in vitro
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digestive study performed to simulate the human GI process of T2-G. This study consisted of
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an artificial saliva digestion assay and an in vitro human colonic fermentation assay. These
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authors found that the T-2 toxin glucosides were unaltered after incubation with artificial
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human saliva and that after a 30 min fermentation step, there was practically no hydrolysis
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of T2-G to T-2. However, after 24 h fermentation, less than 30% of the initially added T2-G
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was still present [24]. In vitro tests, like the ones performed by McCormick et al., provide a
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valuable tool to make predictions on the metabolism of a compound. However,
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comprehensive in vivo studies for metabolite profiling and identification are complementary
100
and are often required by regulatory authorities to confirm the (proposed) metabolism [18].
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At present, no in vivo toxicokinetic data is available for T2-G in humans or animals to the
102
authors’ knowledge. It was therefore the aim of the present study to determine the
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absolute oral bioavailability, in vivo hydrolysis and toxicokinetic characteristics of T2-G in
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broiler chickens.
105 106 107
2. Experimental 2.1
Standards and solutions
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T-2, HT-2 and T-2 triol were purchased from Fermentek (Jerusalem, Israel). T-2 toxin-3α-
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glucoside (Figure 1) was synthesized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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as described [18,19]. All compounds were dissolved in ethanol to yield a stock solution of 10
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mg/mL. The internal standard (IS), 25 µg/mL
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purchased from Sigma Aldrich (Bornem, Belgium). All stock solutions were stored at ≤−15 °C.
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Individual working standard solutions of 100 µg/mL were prepared by diluting the above
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stock solutions with HPLC-grade acetonitrile. All working standard solutions were stored at
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≤−15 °C. Standard mixture working solutions (containing T-2, HT-2, T-2 triol and T2-G) of
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5,000, 500, 50 and 5 ng/mL were prepared by mixing and diluting the above individual
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working standard solutions in HPLC-grade acetonitrile and were stored at 2-8 °C. Acetonitrile
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solutions of T-2 and HT-2 have been reported stable for 24 months at 25 °C [20]. For T-2 triol
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no data is published on stability/shelf life. However, suppliers claim a stock solution shelf-life
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of at least one month at ≤−15 °C. Regarding synthesised T2-G, no data is published on
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storage and stability neither. However, during this study no degradation of the T2-G
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solutions into T-2, HT-2 and T-2 triol could be detected by liquid chromatography-tandem
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mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis.
13
C24-T-2 toxin solution in acetonitrile, was
124 125
2.2
Chemicals, materials and instrumentation
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Water, methanol, acetic acid and ammonium acetate (all UHPLC grade) were purchased
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from Biosolve (Valkenswaard, The Netherlands). Acetonitrile (HPLC grade) was obtained
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from VWR (Leuven, Belgium). Microfilters Durapore PVDF (0.22 µm) were obtained from
129
Millipore (Overijse, Belgium). Separation of analytes was achieved on an Acquity UPLC® BEH
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C18 column (150 x 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 μm) with an Acquity UPLC® BEH C18 VanGuard pre-
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column (5 x 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 µm). An Acquity UPLC system coupled to a Xevo® TQ-S mass
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spectrometer was used, operating in positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) mode, all from
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Waters (Zellik, Belgium).
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2.3
Plasma sample preparation
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Blank plasma samples.
Heparinized blood from 12 h fasted broiler chickens
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(Ross 308, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) animal unit, Merelbeke,
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Belgium) was centrifuged (2,851 x g, 10 min, 4 °C) to obtain blank plasma. This plasma was
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pooled, homogenized, aliquoted and stored at ≤ – 15 °C for later use as matrix-matched
140
calibrators and quality control samples.
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Calibrator and quality control samples.
To 200 µL of blank plasma, 20 µL of a 100
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ng/mL IS working solution and appropriate volumes of the standard mixture working
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solutions (5,000, 500, 50 and 5 ng/mL) were added to obtain calibrator samples with
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mycotoxin concentrations of 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 ng/mL. Acetonitrile was
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added up to a volume of 1.0 mL to precipitate plasma proteins. After vortex mixing and
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centrifugation (8,517 x g, 10 min, 4 °C), the supernatant was isolated and evaporated to
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dryness under nitrogen at 40 °C. The sample was then redissolved in 200 µL of a UHPLC-
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grade water/methanol mixture (85/15; v/v), filtered (0.22 µm) and analyzed by LC-MS/MS.
149
Incurred samples from animal trials (2.6).
To 200 µL of plasma, 20 µL of a 100
150
ng/mL IS working solution were added and the samples were subjected to the same sample
151
preparation procedure as the calibrator samples.
152 153
2.4
LC-MS/MS analysis
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Analytes were eluted at a flow rate of 300 µL/min with mobile phase A consisting of
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water, methanol and acetic acid (97/2/1; v/v/v) + 5 mM aqueous ammonium acetate, and
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mobile phase B consisting of water, methanol and acetic acid (2/97/1; v/v/v) + 5 mM
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ammonium acetate. A gradient elution program was applied: 0-1 min (70% A, 30% B), 1.0-1.1
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min (linear gradient to 50% B), 1.1-5.0 min (50% A, 50% B), 5.0-5.1 min (linear gradient to
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95% B), 5.1-8.0 min (5% A, 95% B), 8.0-8.1 min (linear gradient 30% B), 8.1-10.0 min (70% A,
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30% B). Column and autosampler temperatures were set to respectively 40 and 8 °C, the
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injection volume (partial loop) was fixed at 10 µL.
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The mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)
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mode with two ion transitions for each analyte. Instrumental and compound specific
164
parameters were optimized by the direct infusion of 10 ng/mL standard solutions in a 50/50
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(v/v) mixture of mobile phase A and B at a flow rate of 50 µL/min. Capillary voltage was set
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at 2.5 kV, cone at 15 V, cone gas flow at 150 L/h, desolvation temperature at 600 °C,
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desolvation gas flow at 1000 L/h and collision gas flow at 150 µL/min. Compound specific
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instrumental parameters, together with precursor and product ions used for quantification
169
and qualification, are given in Table 1.
170 171
2.5
Analytical method validation
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Validation was performed on spiked blank plasma samples. The recommendations
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issued by the European Community [21, 22] and the Veterinary International Conference on
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Harmonisation (VICH) [23] were used as validation guidelines.
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Linearity of the analytes’ response was assessed by means of three matrix-matched
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calibration curves consisting of at least seven calibration points in the range of 0.1-100
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ng/mL for HT-2, T-2 triol and T2-G, and in the range of 0.1-1,000 ng/mL for T-2. The criteria
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and corresponding acceptability ranges for linearity were a correlation coefficient (r) of
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≥0.99 and a goodness-of-fit coefficient (gof) of ≤20%.
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Within-day accuracy & precision were determined by analyzing six samples spiked at
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a low concentration level (limit of quantitation or LOQ) and a high concentration level (linear
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range maximum). Values for the relative standard deviation (RSD) should not exceed 2/3 of
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the RSDmax, calculated according to the Horwitz equation [24]. The acceptance criteria for
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accuracy were: −50% to +20%, −30% to +10% and −20% to +10% for concentraƟons ≤ 0.1
185
ng/mL, between 1 and 10 ng/mL, and ≥10 ng/mL, respectively.
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Between-day accuracy & precision were assessed by analyzing three samples spiked
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at a low concentration level (LOQ) and a high concentration level (linear range maximum) on
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three consecutive days (n=3x3). The acceptance criteria for accuracy were identical to the
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values given above and RSD values should not exceed the RSDmax [24].
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The LOQ was determined as the lowest concentration for which the method had
191
acceptable results with regards to accuracy and precision. It was assessed by spiking six
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plasma samples at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 or 2 ng/mL. The LOQ was also established as the lowest
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point of the calibration curve. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated using the signal-to-
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noise (S/N) ratio of the samples spiked at the LOQ level (n=6), corresponding to the
195
concentration with a S/N ratio of 3.
196 197
Carry-over was evaluated by analyzing a mixture of mobile phase A and B (50/50; v/v) directly after the highest calibrator sample.
198
The specificity, the capability of the method to distinguish between the analytes and
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other substances or interferences, was determined on six blank plasma samples. For an
200
acceptable specificity, the S/N ratio of possible interfering peaks with similar retention times
201
in these samples should not exceed the S/N ratio of the analyte(s)’ LOD.
202
Recovery and matrix effects. Two types of matrix-matched calibration curves were
203
prepared. One curve was prepared by spiking blank calibrator samples before extraction and
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one curve was prepared by spiking blank calibrator samples after extraction. A third
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calibration curve was prepared in standard solution. All curves consisted of five calibration
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points in the range of 1-100 ng/mL. The slopes of these calibration curves (x-axis: theoretical
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concentration; y-axis: MS signal intensity uncorrected by isotopically labeled IS) were
208
compared
209
extraction/slope standard solution).
210
suppression/enhancement (SSE = 100 × slope spiked after extraction/slope standard
211
solution), and the extraction recovery RE was calculated as follows: RE = 100 × slope spiked
212
before extraction/slope spiked after extraction. Regarding SSE, values ≤ 100% indicate ion
213
suppression due to matrix effects, values ≥ 100% are caused by ion enhancement [25].
to
calculate
the
apparent
recovery
(RA = 100 × slope
spiked
The matrix effect was denoted as
before signal
214 215
2.6
Toxicokinetic animal trials
216
Six broilers chickens (Ross 308, mixed sex, 18 days of age) were housed at the Faculty
217
of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University. Water and feed were present ad libitum. The
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birds were allowed to acclimatize for 1 week in a climate-controlled stable with
219
temperatures between 18 and 25 °C, a relative humidity between 40 and 80% and a 18 h/6 h
220
light/dark cycle. Three broilers were given a single T2-G intravenous injection (IV) and three
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broilers a single per os bolus (PO, by means of gavage directly into the crop). After a one-day
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washout period, the same animals were administered T-2 by IV or PO route in a two-way
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cross-over design, with a one-day washout period (Figure 1). Twelve hours before
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administration of T-2 or T2-G, the animals were fasted. In order to obtain detectable plasma
225
concentrations after PO administration, it was opted to use a dose of 1 mg/kg bw T2-G and
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an equimolar dose of T-2, i.e. 0.74 mg/kg bw. Mycotoxin solutions (10 mg/mL in ethanol)
227
were diluted with saline (0.9% NaCl, VWR, Leuven, Belgium) to obtain a volume of about one
228
mL, that was appropriate for administration. Before the administration of the toxins (0 min),
229
and at 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min afterwards, blood (0.5 – 1 mL) was
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collected in heparinized tubes from the vena metatarsea plantaris. Blood samples were
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centrifuged (2851 x g, 10 min, 4 °C) within 2 h after collection and plasma was stored at -
232
20°C. The animal trial was approved by the ethical committee of the Faculty of Veterinary
233
Medicine and the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering (EC2013/139).
234 235
2.7
Toxicokinetic modeling and statistical analysis
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Toxicokinetic analysis was performed using WinNonlin Professional version 5.2.1.
237
(Pharsight, St-Louis, MO, USA). Plasma concentrations below the LOQ were excluded from
238
the analysis. A two-compartmental model (central compartment (Vc) and peripheral
239
compartment (Vp)) with first-order elimination kinetics was applied for the analysis of both
240
T-2 and T2-G.
241
The following primary and secondary toxicokinetic parameters for both T-2 and T2-G
242
were calculated from the IV data: total body clearance (CL), central volume of distribution
243
(Vc), peripheral volume of distribution (Vp), disposition rate constant (β) and disposition
244
half-life (t1/2β). Maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) and time to maximal plasma
245
concentration (tmax) were calculated from the PO data. A 1/ŷ weighing was applied for all
246
calculations.
247
The absolute oral bioavailability F, i.e. the fraction absorbed in the systemic circulation
248
in its unaltered form, was calculated for T-2 and T2-G from the area under the plasma
249
concentration-time curves from time 0 to infinity (AUC0-inf) as follows:
250 2 =
251
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The fraction of the dose absorbed in either form, FRAC, was calculated for T-2 and T2-G by correcting for molecular weight (MW) and CL.
254 ∗ CL ∗ CL + ! 2 = ∗ CL ! 255 256 257
The presystemic hydrolysis (Pres. Hydr.) of T2-G was determined as the percentage of
258
the dose that is hydrolysed presystemically to T-2 and absorbed as T-2 (%), and was
259
calculated by correcting for molecular weight (MW) and CL.
260
#$%&. ()*$. =
∗ CL
∗ CL ∗ CL + !
261 262
Statistical analyses were performed to compare the results for FRAC, F, Cmax and tmax
263
after T2-G administration to the results obtained after T-2 administration. A one-way ANOVA
264
with post-hoc Scheffé tests was conducted (p < 0.05) (SPSS 20.0, IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). All
265
variables were log transformed in order to fulfill the equality of variances criterion as
266
determined by the Levene’s test for homogeneity of variances (p value > 0.01).
267 268 269
3. Results and discussion
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3.1 Method validation
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The results for linearity (r, gof), sensitivity (LOD, LOQ), SSE, RE and RA are given in Table
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2. The results for linearity were all in accordance with the acceptance criteria, with r ≥ 0.99
273
and gof ≤ 20%. The LOD varied from 0.01 ng/mL (T-2 triol), 0.02 ng/mL (T-2 and T2-G) to 0.04
274
ng/mL (HT-2). The LOQ was set at 0.1 ng/mL for all mycotoxins. For RE unusually high values
275
were obtained, however, as the values obtained for RA were situated between 55 and 82%,
276
we do not believe this compromised the obtained results. Moreover, since an isotopically
277
labeled internal standard was used, the results were compensated for extraction recovery.
278 279
Table 3 displays the results for accuracy (%) and precision (RSD, %). All results fell within the specified acceptability ranges.
280
The method complied with specificity requirements as no interfering peaks were
281
observed in the chromatographic elution zone of the analytes with a S/N ratio ≥ 3 (results
282
not shown). Furthermore, carry-over was evaluated, and for none of the analytes carry-over
283
signals were detected that could interfere with the response/area of the analytes at their
284
given retention time (results not shown).
285 286
3.2 Toxicokinetic trials
287
In a previous toxicokinetic study with T-2 in broiler chickens, an oral dose of 0.02 mg/kg
288
bw was administered and was extrapolated from EU maximum guidance values in feed. This
289
dose however did not give rise to plasma concentrations above the LOQ [26]. Consequently,
290
this dose did not allow calculation of the absolute oral bioavailability of T-2. Sun et al. orally
291
dosed broilers at 2.0 mg T-2/kg bw, resulting in detectable plasma profiles [27].
292
Consequently, the dose administered in this study was chosen at 1 mg T2-G/kg bw and at an
293
equimolar dose of T-2, i.e. 0.74 mg/kg bw.
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During the animal trials, none of the broiler chickens showed any adverse effects after
295
acute IV or PO administration of T-2G. On the other hand, within 24 h after the conduct of
296
the T-2 cross-over study, one broiler died. However, this could not be directly related to the
297
administration of the mycotoxin. The other broilers showed no clinical symptoms after the T-
298
2 IV and PO administration.
299
Plasma concentration-time profiles for PO and IV administration of T-2 (n=6) and T2-G
300
(n=3) to broiler chickens are presented in Figure 2. Each profile is represented as the mean +
301
standard deviation (SD).
302
A first observation from the plasma analyses is that after both PO and IV administration
303
of T-2 and T2-G, no T-2 triol and only traces of HT-2 were detected in plasma. In contrast,
304
Sun et al. detected high amounts of HT-2 and T-2 triol after IV administration of T-2 (0.5
305
mg/kg bw), as well as high concentrations of T-2 triol after PO T-2 administration (2 mg/kg
306
bw) [27].
307
The toxicokinetic parameters are shown in Table 4. The F of T-2 in broilers is limited to
308
2.17±1.80%. Sun et al. calculated a notably higher F of T-2, i.e. 17.1% [27]. Osselaere et al.
309
administered T-2 PO (20 µg/kg bw) to chickens and no plasma concentrations above the LOQ
310
could be detected for T-2 and its metabolite HT-2. Consequently, no determination of F was
311
possible. Given the LOQ of 2.5 ng/mL of the latter method, it does indicate a likely low F, in
312
correspondence with the findings of this study.
313
The values for CL (191 mL/min/kg), β (0.0346/min), t1/2β (21.4 min) and Vss (sum of Vc
314
and Vp; 3240 mL/kg) correspond well with the values obtained by Sun et al., i.e. 120
315
mL/min/kg, 0.04/min, 17.3 min and 3170 mL/kg, respectively [27]. In contrast, the values for
316
these toxicokinetics parameters described by Osselaere et al. differ significantly, this
317
discrepancy is probably caused by the application of a non-compartmental model [26].
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For T2-G a FRAC and F of 10.4±8.7% and 10.1±8.5% were determined, respectively. This
319
slight difference is caused by a partial presystemic hydrolysis of T2-G to T-2, i.e. 3.49±1. 19%.
320
McCormick et al. performed an in vitro digestive study on T2-G, developed to simulate the
321
human GI process. They concluded that after a 30 min incubation there was practically no
322
hydrolysis of T2-G to T-2. However, after an incubation period of 24 h, less than 30% of the
323
initially added T2-G remained [18]. These results are in accordance with the low degree of
324
hydrolysis found in this study, given the short GI transit time of max. 3-4 h, in broilers [28].
325
Similar results have been obtained for DON3G, another glycosylated trichothecene, where
326
after IV and PO administration a complete absence of in vivo hydrolysis was observed in
327
broilers [29].
328
Table 4 also shows a FRAC of T2-G which is five times higher than that of T-2. In contrast,
329
the FRAC of DON3G is about three times lower than that of DON in broiler chickens. This
330
discrepancy can possibly be explained by the higher log P of T-2 (not described so far)
331
compared to that of DON (log P -1.0) [30]. Glycosylation in general will increase polarity and
332
thus lower the log P value. For T2-G this glycosylation may result in a more favourable log P
333
for transport of the molecule across cell membranes and for intestinal absorption, as stated
334
by Lipinski’s rule of 5 or certain variants thereof, with satisfactory log P values situated
335
between -0.4 and +5.6.
336
Mean T2-G volumes of distribution, CL and Cmax values are significantly higher than
337
those observed for T-2. Mean values for β (0.0285/min) and t1/2β (24.3 min) of T2-G do not
338
significantly differ from those obtained for T-2.
339
These differences in toxicokinetics parameters between T-2 and T2-G, specifically the five
340
times higher FRAC for T2-G, clearly indicate the flaw in assuming equal toxicity of modified
341
and parent compounds in risk assessment [1]. For every amount of T2-G in feed, compared
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to T-2, the systemic exposure to the glucoside conjugate will be five times higher.
343
Consequently, the relative contribution of modified forms of T-2 to the occurrence of T-2 in
344
feed, estimated at 10% would result in an in vivo contribution of 50%. Assuming equal
345
intrinsic toxicity is similarly flawed. Although no T2-G toxicity data is available, a clearly
346
decreased toxicity has been demonstrated for DON3G compared to DON [17,29,31,32].
347
Given the high degree of structural similarity between DON and T-2, a similar decrease in
348
toxicity may reasonably be expected for T2-G. Furthermore, as seen with DON3G, T2-G was
349
not hydrolysed in broiler chickens to its respective free mycotoxin to a significant extent.
350
These results may thus contribute to a more accurate risk assessment of T2-G in broiler
351
chickens.
352 353
Acknowledgements
354
The financial support by Ghent University (Special Research Fund grant no.
355
I/00105/01) as well as from the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and
356
Environment (FOD) ZENDONCONVERT RT14/09 project is gratefully acknowledged.
357
358
1.
EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) (2014). Scientific Opinion
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on the risks for human and animal health related to the presence of modified forms
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of certain mycotoxins in food and feed. EFSA J, 12(12), 3916.
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2.
Mankevičienė, A., Butkutė, B., Gaurilčikienė, I., Dabkevičius, Z., & Supronienė, S.
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(2011). Risk assessment of Fusarium mycotoxins in Lithuanian small cereal grains.
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Scudamore, K. A., Baillie, H., Patel, S., & Edwards, S. G. (2007). Occurrence and fate of
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Fusarium mycotoxins during commercial processing of oats in the UK. Food Additives
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Escrivá, L., Font, G., & Manyes, L. (2015). In vivo toxicity studies of fusarium mycotoxins in the last decade: A review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 78, 185-206.
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Edwards, S. G. (2009). Fusarium mycotoxin content of UK organic and conventional
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EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) (2011). Scientific opinion
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Current Drug Metabolism, 9(1), 77-82.
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Kuca, K., Dohnal, V., Jezkova, A., & Jun, D. (2008). Metabolic pathways of T-2 toxin.
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Schuhmacher-Wolz, U., Heine, K., & Schneider, K. (2010). Report on toxicity data on
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trichothecene mycotoxins HT-2 and T-2 toxins. EFSA Supporting Publications, 7(7).9.
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European Commission. (2006). Commission Recommendation of 17 August 2006 on
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the presence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 and
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European Commission. (2013). Commission Recommendation 2013/165/EU of 27
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Busman, M., Poling, S. M., & Maragos, C. M. (2011). Observation of T-2 toxin and HT-
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2 toxin glucosides from Fusarium sporotrichioides by liquid chromatography coupled
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to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Toxins, 3(12), 1554-1568.
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Lattanzio, V. M., Visconti, A., Haidukowski, M., & Pascale, M. (2012). Identification
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and characterization of new Fusarium masked mycotoxins, T2 and HT2 glycosyl
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high-resolution mass spectrometry. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 47(4), 466-475.
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Lattanzio, V. M., Ciasca, B., Haidukowski, M., Infantino, A., Visconti, A., & Pascale, M.
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production of type-A trichothecenes and relevant glucosyl derivatives. Journal of
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Broekaert, N., Devreese, M., De Mil, T., Fraeyman, S., Antonissen, G., De Baere, S., De
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Backer, P., Vermeulen, A., & Croubels, S. (2015). Oral Bioavailability, Hydrolysis, and
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Comparative Toxicokinetics of 3-Acetyldeoxynivalenol and 15-Acetyldeoxynivalenol
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Nagl, V., Schwartz, H., Krska, R., Moll, W. D., Knasmüller, S., Ritzmann, M., Adam, G.,
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glucoside in rats. Toxicology Letters, 213(3), 367-373.
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Nagl, V., Woechtl, B., Schwartz-Zimmermann, H. E., Hennig-Pauka, I., Moll, W. D.,
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Adam, G., & Berthiller, F. (2014). Metabolism of the masked mycotoxin
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deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside in pigs. Toxicology Letters, 229(1), 190-197.
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Broekaert, N., Devreese, M., van Bergen, T., Schauvliege, S., De Boevre, M., De
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Saeger, S., Vanhaecke, L., Berthiller, F., Michlmayr, H., Malachová, A., Adam, G.,
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Vermeulen, A., & Croubels, S. (2017). In vivo contribution of deoxynivalenol-3-β-D-
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glucoside to deoxynivalenol exposure in broiler chickens and pigs: Oral bioavailability,
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McCormick, S. P., Price, N. P., & Kurtzman, C. P. (2012). Glucosylation and other
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biotransformations of T-2 toxin by yeasts of the Trichomonascus clade. Applied and
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Environmental Microbiology, 78(24), 8694-8702.
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McCormick, S. P., Kato, T., Maragos, C. M., Busman, M., Lattanzio, V. M., Galaverna,
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G., Dall-Asta, C., Crich, D., Price, N.P.J., & Kurtzman, C. P. (2015). Anomericity of T-2
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toxin-glucoside: masked mycotoxin in cereal crops. Journal of Agricultural and Food
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Chemistry, 63(2), 731-738.
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Widestrand, J., & Pettersson, H. (2001). Effect of time, temperature and solvent on
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the stability of T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol and nivalenol calibrants. Food
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Additives & Contaminants, 18(11), 987-992.
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European Communities. Commission Decision 2002/657/EC of 12 August 2002
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methods and the interpretation of results. Official Journal of the European
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Horwitz, W., Albert, R., & Nesheim, S. (1992). Reliability of mycotoxin assays--an update. Journal of AOAC International, 76(3), 461-491.
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toxicity of the masked mycotoxin deoxynivalenol-3-β-Dd-glucoside. Archives of
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Toxicology, 1-10.
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Maresca, M. (2013). From the gut to the brain: Journey and pathophysiological
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effects of the food-associated trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. Toxins, 5(4),
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Poppenberger, B., Berthiller, F., Lucyshyn, D., Sieberer, T., Schuhmacher, R., Krska, R.,
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Kuchler, K., Glössl, J., Luschnig, C., & Adam, G. (2003). Detoxification of the Fusarium
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mycotoxin deoxynivalenol by a UDP-glucosyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana.
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Wu, W., He, K., Zhou, H. R., Berthiller, F., Adam, G., Sugita-Konishi, Y., Watanabe, M.,
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Krantis, A., Durst, T., Zhang, H., & Pestka, J. J. (2014). Effects of oral exposure to
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naturally-occurring and synthetic deoxynivalenol congeners on proinflammatory
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McCormick, S., Stanley, A.M., Stover, N.A., Alexander, A.J. (2011). Trichothecenes:
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Desjardins A.E. (2006). Fusarium Mycotoxins Chemistry, Genetics and Biology. APS Press; Eagan, MN, USA, 1–260.
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Figures
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Figure 1. Chemical structure of T-2 toxin-3-glucoside and overview of the two-way cross-
475
over study design for intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) T-2 toxin (T2) administration to six
476
broiler chickens with a one-day wash-out period (blue). T-2 toxin-glucoside (T2G) was
477
administered IV and PO to each 3 broiler chickens (green).
478
479 480 481
482
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Figure 2. Plasma concentration-time profiles of T-2 toxin (T-2) and T-2-glucoside (T2-G) after
484
oral (PO) and intravenous (IV) administration of T-2 (0.76 mg/kg bodyweight, n=6) and T2-G
485
(1 mg/kg bodyweight, n=3) to broiler chickens. Values are presented as mean + SD.
486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495
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Tables
497
Table 1. Compound specific MRM ion transitions and MS parameters of T-2 toxin (T-2), its metabolites HT-2
498
toxin (HT-2) and T-2 triol, T-2 glucoside (T2-G) and the isotopically labelled internal standard (13C24-T-2); Rt=
499
retention time; IS= internal standard; quantifier ion
a
T-2
Measured
Precursor ion
Product ion
form/adduct
(m/z)
(m/z)
[M+NH4]+
484.1
245.4a
Rt (min)
Collision Energy 12
5.7 305.4 HT-2
[M+Na]+
447.2
12
285.1a
20 4.2
345.1 T-2 triol
[M+Na]
+
405.0
124.9
18 a
15 3.3
303.0 T2-G
[M+Na]+
650.9
15
326.9a
40 4.5
406.9 13
C24-T-2 (IS)
[M+NH4]
+
508.2
198.0
40 a
22 5.7
228.9
500 501 502 503 504 505
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506
Table 2. Method validation results for analysis of T-2 toxin (T-2), HT-2 toxin (HT-2), T-2 triol and T-2 toxin-
507
glucoside (T2-G) in broiler chicken plasma: linearity (correlation coefficient r and goodness-of-fit coefficient gof,
508
minimum 7 concentration points), limit of detection and limit of quantification (LOD and LOQ; n=6), matrix
509
effects (signal suppression/enhancement (SSE)), apparent recovery (RA) and extraction recovery (RE).
510 Range
Correlation
Goodness of
LOD
LOQ
SSE
RA
RE
(ng/mL)
coefficient (r)
fit (gof, %)
(ng/mL)
(ng/mL)
(%)
(%)
(%)
T-2
0.1-1000
0.9999
6.52
0.02
0.1
96.6
77.8
80.5
HT-2
0.1-100
0.9981
17.33
0.04
0.1
31.6
81.3
257
T-2 triol
0.1-100
0.9984
10.79
0.01
0.1
19.7
55.4
282
T2-G
0.1-100
0.9910
13.36
0.02
0.1
41.8
76.7
183
511 512
Table 3. Method validation results for analysis of T-2 toxin (T-2), HT-2 toxin (HT-2), T-2 triol and T-2 toxin-
513
glucoside (T2-G) in broiler chicken plasma: within-day precision (n=6) and between-day precision (n=3x3) with
514
corresponding accuracy at low (limit of quantification (LOQ)) and high (linear range maximum) concentration
515
level
Within-day (n=6) Accuracy (%)
Between-day (n=3x3)
Precision (RSD, %)
Accuracy (%)
Precision (RSD, %)
LOQ
Range max
LOQ
Range max
LOQ
Range max
LOQ
Range max
8.3
-0.4
18.8
2.6
11.1
-0.5
7.0
1.4
HT-2
-42.0
-6.0
18.9
2.7
-40.0
-5.1
18.6
2.7
T-2 triol
-10.0
-4.5
17.6
2.1
-1.1
-3.3
19.2
2.8
T2-G
-9.-9
-3.8
19.6
2.3
-31.1
-3.2
30.2
2.5
T-2
516
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Table 4. Toxicokinetic parameters, absolute oral bioavailability (%) and presystemic hydrolysis (%) of T-2 toxin
518
(T-2) (n=6) and T-2 toxin-glucoside (T2-G) (n=3) after intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) administration to broiler
519
chickens.
Administration route
IV
PO
Parameter
T-2
T2-G
CL (mL/min/kg)
191±42
377±85*
Vc (mL/kg)
1173±387
2705±1281*
Vp (mL/kg)
2067±744
4568±1838*
β (1/min)
0.0346±0.0088
0.0285±0.0017
t1/2β (min)
21.4±6.6
24.3±1.4
FRAC (%)
2.17±1.80
10.4±8.7*
Pres.Hydr. (%)
-
3.49±1.19*
F (%)
2.17±1.80
10.1±8.5*
Cmax (ng/mL)
5.55±7.49
33.9±27.0*
tmax (min)
8.14±4.38
4.67±4.62
Values are presented as mean ± SD. β=disposition rate constant (1/min); t1/2β=disposition half-life (min); CL=total body clearance (mL/min/kg); Vc=volume of distribution of the central compartment (mL/kg); Vp=volume of distribution of the peripheral compartment (mL/kg); FRAC=absorbed fraction (%); Pres.Hydr.=percentage of the dose that is hydrolysed presystemically (%); F=absolute oral bioavailability (%); Cmax=maximum plasma concentration (ng/mL); tmax= time to maximum plasma concentration (min); Statistical analysis was performed by means of ANOVA,* statistically significant difference (p