A scoping review on mycotoxin-induced neurotoxicity

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi. Acute and chronic dietary exposure to toxigenic mycotoxins can cause various adverse health effects in humans and animals and thus are relevant food and feed contaminants. Despite many years of research and efforts on good agricultural and manufacturing practices, there remains a global challenge in the prevention of mycotoxin contamination and its effects on human and animal health. This leads to significant global economic losses. Research has established that these toxic mycotoxins are carcinogenic, genotoxic, mutagenic hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic. Toxigenic mycotoxins have a significant risk to the central nervous system, with potential long-term consequences on cognitive, and behavioural outcomes and neurological disorders, particularly in children. The most common mycotoxins aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and fumonisin B1 induces neurotoxicity via different mechanisms including disruption of neuronal signalling pathways, DNA damage, epigenetic modifications, impaired neurogenesis, oxidative stress, autophagy, disruption of neurotransmitter systems, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Exposure to mycotoxins has been associated with cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, behavioural abnormalities, and neurological disorders. The severity of neurological disorder outcomes associated with mycotoxin exposure can vary depending on the dose, duration, and timing of exposure. This review thus discusses the health effects of neurotoxic mycotoxins, their neurotoxicity and mechanisms of action.