Juveniles are considered one of the most vulnerable population groups concerning mycotoxins and their modified forms. The weaning stage is a particularly vulnerable period in the mammals life, reflected in… Click to show full abstract
Juveniles are considered one of the most vulnerable population groups concerning mycotoxins and their modified forms. The weaning stage is a particularly vulnerable period in the mammals life, reflected in intestinal and immune dysfunction. The current study investigated the toxicokinetic (TK) characteristics of zearalenone (ZEN), zearalenone-14-glucoside (ZEN14G) and zearalenone-14-sulfate (ZEN14S) in weaned (4-week-old) piglets, by means of oral and intravenous administration of equimolar doses, i.e. 331, 500 and 415 µg/kg bodyweight, respectively. Plasma and urine were sampled pre-and post-administration and were quantitatively analyzed for ZEN, ZEN14G, ZEN14S and in vivo metabolites by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Tailor-made TK models were elaborated to process data. A statistical comparison of the results was performed with TK data obtained in a previously reported study for pigs of 8 weeks of age. Additionally, porcine plasma protein binding was determined in order to support TK findings. The TK results for ZEN, ZEN14G and ZEN14S, obtained in 4- and 8-week-old pigs, revealed significant age-related differences, based on differences in intestinal permeability, body fat content, gastrointestinal transit time and biotransformation, with a special emphasis on an increased absorbed fraction of ZEN14G, i.e. 94 vs. 61% in 4- compared to 8-week-old pigs. Since the growing pig has been reported a suitable paediatric animal model for humans concerning TK processes, these results may contribute to refine the risk assessment concerning modified ZEN forms in juvenile animals and humans.
               
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