Cytoprotective effects of curcumin and silymarin on PK-15 cells exposed to ochratoxin A, fumonisin B and deoxynivalenol.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungus which cause worldwide concern regarding food and feed safety. Ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B (FB) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are some of the main mycotoxins and oxidative stress is the main mechanism of toxicity. Thereby, this study investigates the in vitro cytoprotective effects of curcumin (CUR) and silymarin (SIL) - known for their strong antioxidant activity - in PK-15 cells exposed to OTA, FB and DON. Pretreatment with CUR and SIL enhanced the viability of cells exposed to the mycotoxins (P < 0.001) and attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation by DON (P < 0.01), partially reduced ROS formation by FB (P < 0.001), but not OTA. CUR significantly decreased apoptosis in cells exposed to DON (P < 0.01) but was not able to prevent apoptosis in cells exposed to OTA and FB. Whereas SIL was able to prevent apoptosis in PK-15 cells exposed to FB and DON (P < 0.01) but was not able to decrease apoptosis in cells exposed to OTA. In summary, these data indicate that curcumin and silymarin are able to provide cytoprotection against toxicity induced by OTA, FB and DON in PK-15 cells.