Identification of proteins related to early changes observed in Human hepatocellular carcinoma cells after treatment with the mycotoxin Zearalenone.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin produced by some Fusarium species. ZEA often occur as a contaminant in cereal grains and animal feeds. Human exposure occurs by ingestion of mycotoxin-contaminated products and can cause serious health problems. It was established that this mycotoxin have an hepato, haemato, immuno and genotoxic properties (Maaroufi et al., 1996; Lioi et al., 2004). While most ZEA toxic effects have been quite well investigated, more studies are required to elucidate its mechanisms of toxicity. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in ZEA toxicity, we used a proteomic approach, to assess the early changes in protein expression initiated by ZEA in HepG2 cells. Our results showed that, after 8h of exposure, cells were still viable and showed a significant change in a number of proteins involved in diverse cellular processes. These changes may provide the early affected functions and yield further insight into mechanisms underlying the involvement of mycotoxin-induced diseases.
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