Toxicokinetics of fumonisin B2 in ducks and turkeys.

Two extraction steps combined with HPLC with fluorescence detection were developed to determine the toxicokinetics of fumonisin B(2) (FB(2)) in ducks and turkeys. The limit of quantification of the method was 25 ng of FB(2)/mL. The mean extraction was 63%. After intravenous administration (single dose: 1 mg of FB(2)/kg of BW), plasma concentration time curves were best described by a 2-compartment open model. In ducks, elimination half-life, mean residence time, and clearance of FB(2) were 32 min, 12.9 min, and 9.3 mL/min per kilogram, respectively. In turkeys, these toxicokinetics parameters were 12.4 min, 5 min, and 8.7 mL/min per kilogram, respectively. Only a small amount of FB(2) was detected in plasma after oral dosing of 10 mg of FB(2)/kg of BW.

Toxicity of Fusarium moniliforme culture material containing known levels of fumonisin B1 in ducks.

Fusarium moniliforme culture material toxicity containing fumonisin B1 (FB1) was investigated into four groups of five growing ducks, each receiving 0,5,15 or 45 mg/kg FB1 by daily oral administration over 12 days. Treatments did not lead to lethality, but the average body weight gain was slightly retarded in treated versus control animals, without apparent dose relation. A dose-dependent increase of the liver weight with a disorganization of the span and implementation of a microglandular structure in both periportal and centrolobular areas was obtained. In the plasma, together protein, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, gammaglutamyl transferase and sphinganine to sphingosine ratio (SA/SO) were increased. No sign of apoptosis was present neither in the liver nor in peripheral blood lymphocytes and only moderate oxidative damages were obtained. These results are of interest, because although FB1 increases SA/SO and is hepatotoxic in all investigated species, liver hyperplasia with increased liver weight were obtained in ducks, whereas decreased liver weight and apoptosis are observed in rats. Finally, although ducks appeared resistant to FB1 toxicity in terms of mortality, liver alterations were obtained with only 5 mg/kg per day of FB1 for 12 days. Considering the fact that high levels of FB1 may occur in corn (100-300 mg/kg), liver pathology could have an impact in farming conditions.