Veterinary Research Communications, 30(Suppl. 1) (2006) 281–283 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-006-0061-z C  Springer 2006 Fusariotoxins and Pig Granulosa Cells: In vitro Effects on Cellular Proliferation F. Caloni 1,∗ , G. Ranzenigo 2 and L.J. Spicer 3 1 Department of Veterinary Sciences and Technologies for Food Safety; 2 Department of clinical science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; 3 Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, USA Correspondence: E-mail: francesca.caloni@unimi.it Caloni, F., Ranzenigo, G. and Spicer, L.J., 2006. Fusariotoxins and pig granulosa cells: In vitro effects on cellular proliferation. Veterinary Research Communications, 30(Suppl. 1), 281–283 Keywords: α-Zearalenol, deoxynivalenol, pig granulosa cells, T-2 Toxin Abbreviations: α-ZEA,α-zearalenol; DON, deoxynivalenol; FSH, Follicle Stimulating Hormone; IGF-1, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1; T-2, T-2 toxin INTRODUCTION Fusariotoxins, such as Deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, and Zearalenone (D’Mello et al., 1999) are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium moulds. The effects of Zearalenone, in different species and humans, such as endocrine disruptors, are very well known, and particularly in swine these effects are linked to the bioactivation of Zearalenone into α-zearalenol Little is known about the reproductive effects of tricothecenes in swine: in a recent study on DON, the effects of this mycotoxin on oocyte maturation have been demonstrated (Alm et al., 2000), while for T-2 studies conducted in the field, a correlation was shown between this mycotoxin and reproductive disorders (D’Mello et al., 1999) in gilts. Because these mycotoxins are commonly found in feed, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the DON, T-2 and α-ZEA effects singularly, and in combination, on an in vitro model with porcine granulosa cells to evaluate the effects on cellular proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Porcine granulosa cells were taken from small size ovarian follicles from slaughtered ani- mals. These were cultured (Spicer et al., 1993, 1998) and treated with different concentra- tions of DON (0.01–16.9 μM), T-2 (0.0006–6.4 μM) and α-ZEA (0,009–31,2 μM) (Sigma Chemical Co, St. Louis, MO), singularly and in combination. Granulosa cells have been treated with single mycotoxin at established concentrations (0.09 μM α-ZEA, 0.1 μM DON and 0.06 μM T2) in the presence of different concentrations (0, 3, 10, or 30 ng/mL) of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (recombinant human; R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone 30 ng/mL (Scripps Laboratories, San Diego, CA). At the end of treatment (96 h), cell numbers in each well were measured using a Coulter counter (Model 281