Synergistic cytotoxicity of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol at realistic dietary exposure ratios through ribotoxic stress-induced apoptosis in Caco-2 cells.

Trichothecenes, deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV), frequently co-contaminate food, posing potential health risks through their combined toxicity effects. While previous studies have assessed DON-NIV interactions using arbitrary or effective concentration-based ratios, this study investigated their effects using realistic dietary exposure ratios estimated from South Korean food consumption data. Undifferentiated and differentiated Caco-2 cells were treated with DON and NIV, individually or in combination.