An overview of the toxicology and toxicokinetics of fusarenon-X, a type B trichothecene mycotoxin

Fusarenon-X (FX) is a type B trichothecene mycotoxin that is frequently observed along with deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV) in agricultural commodities. This review aims to give an overview of the literature concerning the toxicology and toxicokinetics of FX. FX is primarily found in cereals grown in temperate regions, but it can also be found worldwide because of the global transport of products. The major toxicity of FX occurs through inhibition of protein synthesis, followed by the disruption of DNA synthesis. Moreover, FX has also been shown to induce apoptosis in in vitro and in vivo studies. The targets of FX are organs containing actively proliferating cells, such as the thymus, spleen, skin, small intestine, testes and bone marrow. FX causes immunosuppression, intestinal malabsorption, developmental toxicity and genotoxicity. In addition, sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals is currently lacking, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies it as a group 3 carcinogen.