Magnolol ameliorates fumonisin B1-induced oxidative damage and lipid metabolism dysfunction in astrocyte-like C6 cells

The neurotoxicity of fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), a commonly detected mycotoxin in crops and the environment, has attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, no effective method for eliminating FB₁ completely exists due to the thermal stability and water solubility of this mycotoxin. Magnolol (MAG) is a neolignane with antioxidative and neuroprotective effects. It has been applied in neurotoxicity treatment. However, the application of MAG to attenuate FB₁-induced toxicity has not been reported. This study explored the protective mechanism of MAG against FB₁-induced damage in C6 cells through antioxidant and lipid metabolism modulation. Results showed that exposure to 15 μM FB₁ caused oxidative stress by changing the levels of malondialdehyde, Reactive Oxygen Species, total superoxide dismutase, catalase, and total glutathione. These changes were reversed by MAG addition, especially at the concentration of 80 μM. The protective effects of MAG were further confirmed by the reduction in the phosphorylation levels of proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway. Lipidomics analysis identified 263 lipids, which belong to 24 lipid classes. Among all of the identified lipids, triglycerides (TGs), diglycerides (DGs), phosphatidylcholines (PCs), wax monoesters (WEs), Cers, and phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) were major categories. Moreover, nine categories of lipids showed the opposite change trend in the FB₁ exposure and MAG 80 groups. A further investigation of the 34 co-occurring differential lipids with remarkable changes (P value < 0.05 and VIP value > 1) in the control, FB₁ exposure, and MAG 80 groups was performed. Therein, nine lipids (PCs, LPCs, and SM) were screened out as potential biomarkers to reveal the cytoprotective effects of MAG. This work is the first to investigate the rescue mechanism of MAG in FB₁-induced cytotoxicity. The obtained results may expand the application of MAG to alleviate the toxicity of mycotoxins.

Fumonisin B(1); Lipidomics; MAPK signaling pathway; Magnolol; Oxidative stress.