High contamination levels of deoxynivalenol-induced erythrocyte damage in different models

Background: Consumptions of DON-contaminated food by farm animals and humans lead to mycotoxicoses. Based on the previous studies, DON may cause the morphological, numerical and functional abnormity of erythrocyte in animals such as pigs, poultry, horses, mice, humans and so on. But at present, there is still a lack of full and systematic discussion of the DON-induced erythrocyte damage. Scope and approach: Therefore, the aim of the present review is to summarize and update the prominent evidences, explore possible mechanisms, put forward preventive measures, and suggest a hypothesis for future research regarding the effects of DON on erythrocyte. Key finding: And conclusions what we summarize are 1) Apart from ruminant, DON can induce erythrocyte damage in animals and there is a threshold level about damage. However, the value of threshold level and the extent of damage are still unclear; 2) DON exerts toxicity on erythrocyte mainly by penetrating the phospholipid bilayers, interacting with the cellular membranes, and phospholipid peroxidation. Most probably, more than one mechanism operates at the same time; 3) The existing methods for preventing damage can be classified as reducing absorption of DON through intestinal tract and blocking mechanisms that DON exerts toxicity on erythrocyte.