Deoxynivalenol induced oxidative stress and genotoxicity in human peripheral blood lymphocytes

•DON induced genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.•DON evoked oxidative stress to deplete antioxidase.•Depletion of antioxidase reduced ability of DNA repair.•Oxidative stress also up-regulated or inhibited expression of HO-1 in 6 or 24h. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common mycotoxins. The aim of this study consists in using diverse cellular and molecular assays to evaluate cytotoxicity, genotoxicity as well as oxidative damage and to investigate their mechanisms in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The human lymphocytes were cultured in eight different doses of DON (0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500ng/mL) during 6, 12 and 24h. DON was able to decrease cell viability and cause damage to the membrane, the chromosomes or the DNA at all times of culture. It was also able to induce lipid peroxidation and raise the levels of 8-OHdG and ROS in 6, 12 and 24h. The results of the RT-PCR and the Western Blot indicated that DON is able to enhance mRNA or protein expressions of DNA repair genes and HO-1 in 6h and to inhibit these expressions in 24h. DON potentially triggers genotoxicity in human lymphocytes. This mechanism is probably related to depletion of antioxidase and oxidative damage to the DNA that reduced expression of HO-1, thereby inhibiting the ability of DNA repair.