Author(s)

Z. Kováčiková, M. Mesárošová, E. Piecková, M. Hurbánková, S. Černá, A. Gábelová, M. Majorošová & S. Wimmerová

Abstract

The lung is a major target organ for insults induced by environmental pollutants. Following the effect of microfungal exposure relating to less studied topics, health complaints, particularly in mouldy houses, may be associated with microfungal exposure. The pulmonary health problems can be evoked both by inhalation of spores or their secondary metabolites. The fungal secondary metabolites represent a mixture of different active compounds and the mycotoxins may be a common part of them. Our study was focused on the effect of secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus versicolor, a frequent indoor colonizer. The Wistar rats were intratracheally exposed to isolated metabolites produced by A. versicolor and after 3 days exposure the animals were sacrificed and the antioxidant status was estimated in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Alveolar macrophages and alveolar epithelial type II cells – from toxicological point of view the most important cells – were isolated and their antioxidant status and DNA damage were evaluated. The results did not show statistically significant changes of antioxidant status either in lungs or in the BALF, but the DNA damage was enhanced in both types of studied cells. Keywords: lung, Aspergillus versicolor, metabolites, antioxidant status, DNA damage, sterigmatocystin.

Keywords

lung, Aspergillus versicolor, metabolites, antioxidant status, DNA damage, sterigmatocystin