Abstract
Fusarin C is a mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species and has been associated with esophageal cancer due to its carcinogenic effects. Here, we report that fusarin C stimulates growth of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. This suggests that fusarin C can act as an estrogenic agonist and should be classified as a mycoestrogen. MCF-7 cells were stimulated in the range between 0.1 and 20. μM and inhibited when the concentration exceeded 50. μM. The toxicity of fusarin C is comparable to other mycoestrogens such as zearalenone, but the chemical structure of fusarin C is very different from other known estrogen agonists. Furthermore, the toxicity of fusarin C was tested in five additional human cell lines Caco 2, U266, PC3, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10a which were all inhibited when the concentration of fusarin C exceeded 10. μM. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the mycoestrogenic properties of fusarin C.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Toxicology Letters |
Volume | 205 |
Issue number | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 116-121 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 0378-4274 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 Aug 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Breast cancer
- Estrogen
- Estrogen receptor
- Fusarin C
- Fusarium
- MCF-7 cells