The plasma clearance of the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is decreased in endotoxemic pigs

Abstract The plasma elimination kinetics of the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) was investigated in male castrated pigs (40.4 ± 3.7 kg) when infused intravenously either alone (100 μg/kg/h, n  = 6) or together with lipopolysaccharides (LPS, 7.5 μg/kg/h, n  = 6). The maximum DON concentration after one hour of infusion was significantly higher by 61% in the DON + LPS Group compared to pigs infused with DON alone. The area under the plasma DON concentration vs. time curve of the DON + LPS Group was approximately twice as high as that of the DON Group after 24 h while the initial (0.63 vs. 0.6 h) and terminal half-lifes (2.97 vs. 2.30 h) remained uninfluenced. The apparent volume of distribution and the plasma clearance were significantly lower for the DON + LPS Group compared to the DON Group (2.14 vs. 1.45 L/kg and 11.9 vs. 5.87 mL/kg/min). Glucuronidated DON seemed to persist longer in the DON + LPS Group. In conclusion, clearance of DON was decreased during an LPS induced acute phase reaction in pigs. Whether the higher plasma DON concentrations in endotoxemic pigs are due to a hemodynamically associated longer persistence of the DON glucuronide or because of an altered glucuronidation activity needs to be examined further.