TDK conference 2017

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are specific compounds with a potent modulatory effect on the human and animal endocrine function. Several molecules can act as an ED in our environment, and a growing body of evidence draws attention to their adverse health effects, however our knowledge is scarce about their exact actions. In this study, the effect of zearalenone (ZEA), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, was examined in vitro.

Our experiments were focused on how ZEA treatment affects the estrogen receptor beta (ERb) and thyroid receptor alfa and beta (TRa & b) protein expression levels in developing neuronal cell cultures. Additionally, possible modulatory effects derived form 17b-estradiol and triiodothyronine were examined, as well.

We isolated cerebellar granule cell cultures from 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rat pups. After 7 days some of the cultures was treated with ZEA, others remained untreated as control. In order to test the possible modulatory effects of ZEA, we administered 17b-estradiol, or 3,3’,5-triiodo- L-thyronine, or the mixture of these hormones on some treated and untreated cultures as well. Western blot technique was used to measure the receptor levels.

Our results show that the ZEA treatment significantly increased the amount of expressed receptor proteins in all groups, compared to the ZEA-free cultures. According to our results, ZEA can influence the neuronal development in a manner more complex than we previously thought, it can act as a possible cause of many disorders related to reproduction and development in animal husbandry.