Repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity study of moniliformin in rats.

Abstract Moniliformin is a Fusarium mycotoxin mainly produced by several species infecting grains in different climatic conditions. According to our previous studies, it is acutely toxic to rats, with an LD 50 cut-off value of 25 mg/kg b.w. To further assess the possible health risks of low dose exposure to moniliformin, a subacute oral toxicity study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats, adapting OECD guideline 407. Five dose groups and two satellite groups, each consisting of five male rats, were daily exposed to moniliformin by gavage. Two rats in the highest dose group, showed decreased activity followed by acute heart failure and death. The rats of the lower doses (