The Food Contaminant Deoxynivalenol Exacerbates the Genotoxicity of Gut Microbiota

An increasing number of human beings from developed countries are colonized by strains producing colibactin, a genotoxin suspected to be associated with the development of colorectal cancers. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent mycotoxin that contaminates staple food-especially cereal products-in Europe and North America. This study investigates the effect of the food contaminant DON on the genotoxicity of the strains producing colibactin. , intestinal epithelial cells were coexposed to DON and producing colibactin. , newborn rats colonized at birth with producing colibactin were fed a DON-contaminated diet. Intestinal DNA damage was estimated by the phosphorylation of histone H2AX. DON exacerbates the genotoxicity of the producing colibactin in a time- and dose-dependent manner Although DON had no effect on the composition of the gut microbiota, and especially on the number of , a significant increase in DNA damage was observed in intestinal epithelial cells of animals colonized by strains producing colibactin and coexposed to DON compared to animals colonized with strains unable to produce colibactin or animals exposed only to DON. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that the genotoxicity of strains producing colibactin, increasingly present in the microbiota of asymptomatic human beings, is modulated by the presence of DON in the diet. This raises questions about the synergism between food contaminants and gut microbiota with regard to intestinal carcinogenesis. An increasing number of human beings from developed countries are colonized by strains producing colibactin, a genotoxin suspected to be associated with the development of colorectal cancers. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent mycotoxin that contaminates staple food-especially cereal products-in Europe and North America. Our and results demonstrate that the intestinal DNA damage induced by colibactin-producing strains was exacerbated by the presence of DON in the diet. This raises questions about the synergism between food contaminants and gut microbiota with regard to intestinal carcinogenesis.