Toxicity assay for deoxynivalenol using Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The progeny production and development rates of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans when treated with deoxynivalenol (DON) were examined. Both purified DON and a crude extract from Fusarium graminearum cultured on rice were tested on C. elegans wild-type (Bristol N2) and a mutant strain (AU1). Significant effects (Tukey-HSD, p < 0.05) on brood size and the rate of larval development from egg to adulthood were observed. Both N2 and AU1 strains showed lower rates of development and smaller brood sizes when exposed to purified DON at concentrations of 500 and 1000 µg ml⁻¹ When they were exposed to crude extract containing 250 µg ml⁻¹ DON, the inhibition of egg hatching and a greatly reduced development rate were observed. The results suggest that selection of a more sensitive C. elegans mutant strain could be used as a suitable animal model for conducting DON toxicity assays.

Keywords:

• bioassay
• toxicology
• mycotoxins

Acknowledgements

The authors thank M. Zhen for technical advice on worm biology; X. Z. Li for preparing F. graminearum crude extract; and S. Balamurugan for reading the paper. Y.G. was a recipient of an AAFC-Co-Op studentship. This work was supported by funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.