“Influence of mycotoxins on spontaneus contraction in myometrial strips of prepubertale lamb”

The effects of mycotoxin zearalenone and their major metabolites a- and b-zearalenol on spontaneous contractions in isolated lambuterine smooth muscle were examined. The study was carried out on 20 female prepubertal lambs aged between 45 and 50 days. Myometrialstrips were set up in two isolated organ baths (10 ml) at 37 C and were exposed to increasing concentrations (1011 M–106 M)of these mycoestrogens and results were compared with the effect, at the same concentrations, of natural estrogen 17b-estradiol. Ourfindings suggest that mycotoxins and 17b-estradiol, at nanomolar concentrations, rapidly enhance phasic spontaneous smooth musclecontraction. In particular, zearalenone increases the uterine activity similarly to 17b-estradiol. On the contrary, its metabolite a-zearalenolsignificantly inhibits myometrial contractility.[...]