IONOPHORETIC EFFECT OF SOME MYCOTOXINS ON LIPID BILAYERS

Planar lipid bilayer made of asolectin were used to investigate whethe r or not mycotoxins (verrucarine A, roridin H, DON, F-2, and zearaleno ne) can influence the permeability of the lipid moiety of biomembranes . All toxins but DON are found to be able to induce ion channels in th e lipid bilayer when added in concentration between 1 to 6 mug/ml to t he aqueous solution on one side of the membrane. This was taken as evi dence that, at least certain mycotoxins might express their toxic acti vity by depolarizing affected biomembranes.