ABSTRACT
Fumonisins (Fums) are mycotoxins widely distributed in crops and feed, and ingestion of Fums-contaminated crops is harmful to animal health. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of Fum B1 (FB1 ) on barrier functions of porcine intestinal epithelial cells, IPEC-J2, to clarify the intestinal toxicity of Fums in pigs. The results showed that the persistent treatment of FB1 significantly decreased the viability of IPEC-J2. Moreover, the expressions of Claudin 1, Occludin, Zonula Occluden-1 (ZO-1) on the messenger RNA (mRNA), and protein levels and MUC1 on the mRNA level were significantly inhibited after FB1 treatment, while the mRNA relative expression level of MUC2 was clearly increased. FB1 also enhanced the monolayer cell permeability of IPEC-J2. Importantly, FB1 promoted the expression of phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase (p-ERK1/2 ). These data suggest that long-term treatment of FB1 can suppress IPEC-J2 proliferation, damage tight junctions of IPEC-J2, and regulate expression of mucins to induce the damage of barrier functions of porcine intestinal epithelial cells, which may be associated with the ERK1/2 phosphorylation pathway.