Cytotoxicity of trichothecene mycotoxins isolated from Fusarium sporotrichioides (MC-72083) and Fusarium sambucinum in baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells.

Twenty-six trichothecene mycotoxins produced by Fusarium sporotrichioides (MC-72083) and Fusarium sambucinum were screened for relative cytotoxicity in cultured baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells. The relative cytotoxicity was measured as LC100. The most cytotoxic trichothecenes were T-2 toxin (5 ng/ml) and the recently isolated 4-propanoyl HT-2 (5 ng/ml) and 3'-hydroxy T-2 toxin (5 ng/ml). T-2 tetraol (1 x 10(4) ng/ml), 8-beta-hydroxytrichothecene (1 x 10(4) ng/ml), sporotrichiol (2 x 10(4) ng/ml), 8-oxodiacetoxyscirpenol (6 x 10(4) ng/ml) and 8-acetyl T-2 tetraol (1 x 10(5) ng/ml) were the least toxic of the regular trichothecenes. None of the modified trichothecenes or the apotrichothecene were very cytotoxic: 8-beta-hydroxysambucoin (2 x 10(3) ng/ml), FS-1 (5 x 10(3) ng/ml), 8-alpha-hydroxysambucoin (8 x 10(4) ng/ml) and trichotriol (1 x 10(5) ng/ml). The modified trichothecenes, FS-2 and FS-3, were not toxic even at 1 x 10(5) ng/ml. The baby hamster kidney cell bioassay proved to be a very sensitive and reproducible means of screening new trichothecene mycotoxins for relative cytotoxicity.