Zearalenone exposure may increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by activating CYP1B1-SCD1

Q: What is zearalenone (ZEN) and why is it important for liver health?

ZEN is an oestrogen-like mycotoxin that widely contaminates food and feed. It can harm the liver by disrupting hepatic lipid metabolism, which is linked to NAFLD progression.

Q: How did the study assess the effects of ZEN on NAFLD risk?

The research established a rat model of ZEN-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and measured histological, biochemical, and proteomic changes. Bioinformatics then connected ZEN exposure with NAFLD clinical samples and supported a mechanistic pathway.

Q: Which molecular pathway is proposed to explain ZEN’s potential link to NAFLD?

The study suggests that ZEN may increase NAFLD risk by activating the CYP1B1-SCD1 pathway, supported by proteomics alterations and further animal experiments.

Sep 29, 2026

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Zearalenone (ZEN) is an oestrogen-like mycotoxin that contaminates food and feed worldwide and can disrupt hepatic lipid metabolism, a key process linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). An association between ZEN exposure and NAFLD has remained unclear. This study used a rat model of ZEN-induced hepatic lipid accumulation to identify targets and evaluate links to NAFLD. Histology showed ZEN-related lipid accumulation and pathology; biochemical assays revealed dose-dependent AST and ALT elevation and serum lipid profile disruption. Proteomics highlighted altered SOAT1, SOAT2, CYP1B1, and SCD1, and bioinformatics supported CYP1B1-SCD1 pathway activation, confirmed by additional animal experiments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages12

Reading Time30 min

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Contents

Research Paper

Abstract

Introduction

Current Research in Toxicology 10 (2026) 100277 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Current Research in Toxicology journal [homepage:](homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/current-research-in-toxicology)[ www.journals.elsevier.com/current-research-in-toxicology](homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/current-research-in-toxicology) | Research Paper
Zearalenone exposure may increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by activating CYP1B1-SCD1
Haonan Ruana,b,* , Jing Zhang b, Yunyun Wang b, Dan Zhang a,*, Jiaoyang Luob,*, Meihua Yang b,*
a Institute of Medical Genetics and Development, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang 310006, China
b Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences &Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China | | | | --- | --- | --- | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | A B S T R A C T | | Keywords: Zearalenone Lipid accumulation Proteomics
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease SCD1 | | Zearalenone (ZEN) is an oestrogen-like mycotoxin that widely contaminates food and feed worldwide. Current research suggests that ZEN causes liver injury by disrupting hepatic lipid metabolism. Furthermore, prolonged disturbances in hepatic lipid metabolism are believed to play a role in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the exact association between ZEN exposure and the development of NAFLD is unclear. In this study, we established a rat model of ZEN-induced hepatic lipid accumulation (2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg/ d b.w.,14 d, i.g.) to investigate the key targets of ZEN-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and to explore the potential link between ZEN exposure and NAFLD. Histological staining of rat liver showed that ZEN caused significant pathological changes and lipid accumulation; biochemical analysis showed that ZEN significantly and dose-dependently increased serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and disrupted the serum lipid profile in rats; proteomic analysis showed that ZEN significantly altered protein expression levels in rat liver, especially SOAT1, SOAT2, CYP1B1 and SCD1 (p < 0.05). Through bioinformatics analyses, we combined ZEN exposure with a database of NAFLD clinical samples to reveal that ZEN exposure may increase the risk of NAFLD through activation of the CYP1B1-SCD1 pathway, and further animal experiments confirmed this. This study identifies the key target of ZEN-induced lipid accumulation and provides a basis for further research on the intrinsic link between ZEN exposure and NAFLD. | 1. Introduction ZEN is a mycotoxin that is produced by various species of Fusarium fungi, and is commonly found as a contaminant in grains, such as corn, wheat, barley and oats (Rai et al., 2020). A report published by Nature Food in 2022 suggests that ZEN poses a significant public health risk as one of the most important Fusarium toxins contaminating European wheat (Johns et al., 2022). ZEN has drawn significant attention due to its potential harmful effects on human and animal health. Current studies have shown that ZEN causes varying degrees of reproductive toxicity (Wang et al., 2022a), hepatotoxicity (Wu et al., 2023) and immunotoxicity (Ruan et al., 2023a). Due to the high contamination rate and toxicity of ZEN, almost all countries or organisations including the EU and FDA have set strict limits for ZEN in food and feed (E Commission, 2006). Current research indicates that ZEN could induce liver injury through multiple mechanisms, including the activation of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme system, induction of DNA damage, and triggering of inflammatory responses (Ruan et al., 2022). Recent studies showed that ZEN exposure could lead to metabolic disruption and ch

FAQs

What is zearalenone (ZEN) and why is it important for liver health?

ZEN is an oestrogen-like mycotoxin that widely contaminates food and feed. It can harm the liver by disrupting hepatic lipid metabolism, which is linked to NAFLD progression.

How did the study assess the effects of ZEN on NAFLD risk?

The research established a rat model of ZEN-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and measured histological, biochemical, and proteomic changes. Bioinformatics then connected ZEN exposure with NAFLD clinical samples and supported a mechanistic pathway.

Which molecular pathway is proposed to explain ZEN’s potential link to NAFLD?

The study suggests that ZEN may increase NAFLD risk by activating the CYP1B1-SCD1 pathway, supported by proteomics alterations and further animal experiments.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Angel