Food contamination by Deoxynivalenol: an environmental risk factor for Crohn’s disease?

Abstract

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Despite many attempts, no exclusive genetic or environmental factor has been correlated with its aetiology. It is now widely accepted that a multifactorial background might form the basis of this disease, including genetic factors, immune status, infectious agents, and environmental factors that contribute together to the evolvement of disease. In recent years, increasing evidence suggests that the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol is able to influence the intestinal tract an immune system in a manner that might evoke Crohn’s disease in susceptible individuals or aggravate already existing disease. This review will elaborate on the systemic and cellular pathways affected by both DON and Crohn’s disease and seeks for evidence in overlapping mechanism by which these pathways are able to affect the host.