A mutagenic metabolite produced by Fusarium moniliforme isolated from Linxian county, China

Abstract

Fusarin C, a fungal metabolite, was recently isolated and identified from corn meal inoculated with Fusarium moniliforme which was one of the most common fungi associated with corn in Linxian county, a high-incidence area of esophageal cancer. In the presence of S-9 mix, fusarin C significantly increased the number of revertants in Salmonella typhimurium TA 100, and induced SCE, micronudei, chromosome aberrations and 6-TG resistant mutants in V79 cells. The toxic action of fusarin C on V79 cells was much stronger in the absence of S-9 mix. However, fusarin C did not show, at the largest concentrations used, any significant mutagenic or clastogenic effect on the cells without the addition of S-9 mix. The possib;le relationship between the consumption of corn contaminated with F. moniliforme and the cause of esophageal cancer was discus