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Review
. 2023 Jan 13;24(2):1578.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24021578.

Estrogenic and Non-Estrogenic Disruptor Effect of Zearalenone on Male Reproduction: A Review

András Balló  1   2   3 , Kinga Busznyákné Székvári  1 , Péter Czétány  2   3 , László Márk  3   4   5 , Attila Török  1   3 , Árpád Szántó  1   3 , Gábor Máté  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Estrogenic and Non-Estrogenic Disruptor Effect of Zearalenone on Male Reproduction: A Review

András Balló et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

According to some estimates, at least 70% of feedstuffs and finished feeds are contaminated with one or more mycotoxins and, due to its significant prevalence, both animals and humans are highly likely to be exposed to these toxins. In addition to health risks, they also cause economic issues. From a healthcare point of view, zearalenone (ZEA) and its derivatives have been shown to exert many negative effects. Specifically, ZEA has hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, intestinal toxicity, reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption effects. Of these effects, male reproductive deterioration and processes that lead to this have been reviewed in this study. Papers are reviewed that demonstrate estrogenic effects of ZEA due to its analogy to estradiol and how these effects may influence male reproductive cells such as spermatozoa, Sertoli cells and Leydig cells. Data that employ epigenetic effects of ZEA are also discussed. We discuss literature data demonstrating that reactive oxygen species formation in ZEA-exposed cells plays a crucial role in diminished spermatogenesis; reduced sperm motility, viability and mitochondrial membrane potential; altered intracellular antioxidant enzyme activities; and increased rates of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation; thereby resulting in reduced pregnancy.

Keywords: epigenetic; estrogen; infertility; oxidative stress; reactive oxygen species; sperm; zearalenone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interest or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of zearalenone and its main metabolites and their structural similarity to 17β-estradiol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanism of action of zearalenone on male reproductive cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Estrogenic and non-estrogenic effects of zearalenone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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