Ingestion of Fumonisin B1-Containing Culture Material Decreases Cardiac Contractility and Mechanical Efficiency in Swine

• Published in: Toxicology and applied pharmacology Vol. 162; no. 3; pp. 151 - 160
• Main Authors: Constable, Peter D., Smith, Geoffrey W., Rottinghaus, George E., Haschek, Wanda M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.02.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - pharmacology; Animal Feed; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; blood pressure; Carboxylic Acids - administration & dosage; Carboxylic Acids - toxicity; cardiac output; Cardiotonic Agents - pharmacology; Electrocardiography - drug effects; end-systolic elastance; end-systolic pressure-volume relationship; Fumonisins; Fusarium verticillioides; heart diseases; heart failure; heart rate; hemodynamics; Hemodynamics - drug effects; ingestion; Isoproterenol - pharmacology; left ventricle mechanical efficiency; Male; mean arterial pressure; mechanical energetics; Medical sciences; Myocardial Contraction - drug effects; Nitroprusside - pharmacology; pigs; Plant poisons toxicology; pressure–volume area; Propanolamines - pharmacology; stroke work; Swine; toxicity; Toxicology; Vasodilator Agents - pharmacology; ventricles; Ventricular Function, Left - drug effects; Ventricular Pressure - drug effects; pressure–volume area; end-systolic elastance; mechanical energetics; stroke work; Heart; Systolic pressure; Diastolic pressure; Toxicity; Lung; Mycotoxin; Heart disease; Electrocardiography; Mechanism of action; Ungulata; Energetics; Lung disease; Edema; Respiratory disease; Contractility; Oral administration; Left ventricle; Pig; Toxin; In vivo; Vertebrata; Bradycardia; Mammalia; Animal; Artiodactyla; Hemodynamics
• ISSN: 0041-008X; 1096-0333
• DOI: 10.1006/taap.1999.8831

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced primarily by Fusarium verticillioides, a fungus that commonly contaminates corn. Fumonisin ingestion increases plasma and tissue sphingosine and sphinganine concentrations and causes porcine pulmonary edema, which has been attributed to acute left-sided heart failure or increased vascular permeability. We investigated the effect of short-term ingestion of fumonisin B1-containing culture material on cardiac function in pigs. Treated male pigs (n = 7) received fumonisin-containing culture material which was mixed into the grower diet at 20 mg fumonisin B1/kg body weight each day, while control pigs (n = 7) were fed only the grower diet on the same schedule as the treated pigs. Pigs were anesthetized after 3 days of receiving either diet and instrumented to accurately characterize the cardiovascular effects of fumonisin ingestion. Fumonisin-treated pigs had lower cardiac outputs and heart rates than control pigs. Fumonisin-treated pigs also had a marked reduction in cardiac contractility, as indicated by decreased values for end-systolic elastance (the gold standard in vivo measure of cardiac contractility), V0 (the intercept value for the end-systolic pressure–volume relationship), and mechanical efficiency. These data indicate that in pigs, short-term ingestion of fumonisin B1-containing culture material produces negative inotropic and chronotropic effects and decreases mechanical efficiency of the left ventricle. Theses cardiovascular effects are consistent with fumonisin-induced, sphingosine-mediated l-type Ca2+ channel blockade and suggest that pulmonary edema in pigs fed fumonisin is primarily due to acute left-sided heart failure instead of increased vascular permeability.