Liver Lipidomics, Histology, Transcriptomics, and Clinical Chemistry of Rats Intraperitoneally Treated with Fumonisin B1 for 5 days

Fumonisin B1 was intraperitoneally administered at 2.1 μg/animal/day (1×) and 5 and 10 times above (5× and 10×) to male rats for 5 days (n = 8/group, n = 32). Bodyweight gain decreased in all FB1-treated groups after 3 days, while bodyweight decreased (10×) after 5 days. Feed intake and liver weight decreased (5×, 10×). Clinical chemistry indicated increased total protein, albumin, cholesterol, AST, ALT, and gamma-GT (10×). Histopathology revealed apoptosis, mitosis, hydropic change, mild steatosis, and pericentral glycogen depletion (10×). Shotgun lipidomics showed an increase in sphingosine at 10×, with a dose-dependent depletion of longer-chain ceramide and sphingomyelin molecular species. GM3 ganglioside and free and esterified cholesterol increased linearly with FB1 dose. Arachidonic acid (AA)-containing species of ether-type phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) displayed a linear dose response; those in diacyl PE and phosphatidylinositol followed logarithmic models. Transcriptomics revealed downregulation of steroid metabolism, while the NF-kB, sphingolipid, PI3K-Akt-PTEN, and TNF signaling pathways were upregulated, critically beyond 5×.