α-Zearalenol is a

nonsteroidal A nonsteroidal compound is a drug that is not a steroid nor a steroid derivative. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are distinguished from corticosteroids as a class of anti-inflammatory agents. List of nonsteroidal steroid receptor mo ...

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal ac ...

of the

resorcylic acid lactone Resorcylic acid lactones are a group of estrogenic compounds. They are lactones of resorcylic acid. Examples include the mycoestrogens (and synthetic analogues) zearalenone Zearalenone (ZEN), also known as RAL and F-2 mycotoxin, is a potent est ...

group related to

mycoestrogen Mycoestrogens are xenoestrogens produced by fungi. They are sometimes referred to as mycotoxins. Among important mycoestrogens are zearalenone, zearalenol and zearalanol. Although all of these can be produced by various ''Fusarium'' species, zea ...

s found in '' Fusarium spp''. It is the α

epimer In stereochemistry, an epimer is one of a pair of diastereomers. The two epimers have opposite configuration at only one stereogenic center out of at least two. All other stereogenic centers in the molecules are the same in each. Epimerization i ...

β-zearalenol β-Zearalenol is a nonsteroidal estrogen of the resorcylic acid lactone group related to mycoestrogens found in '' Fusarium spp''. It is the β epimer of α-zearalenol and along with α-zearalenol is a major metabolite of zearalenone formed main ...

and along with β-zearalenol is a major metabolite of

zearalenone Zearalenone (ZEN), also known as RAL and F-2 mycotoxin, is a potent estrogenic metabolite produced by some ''Fusarium'' and ''Gibberella'' species. Specifically, the ''Gibberella zeae ,'' the fungal species where zearalenone was initially detected, ...

formed mainly in the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

but also to a lesser extent in the intestines during

first-pass metabolism The first pass effect (also known as first-pass metabolism or presystemic metabolism) is a phenomenon of drug metabolism whereby the concentration of a drug, specifically when administered orally, is greatly reduced before it reaches the system ...

. A relatively low proportion of β-zearalenol is formed from zearalenone compared to α-zearalenol in humans. α-Zearalenol is about 3- to 4-fold more potent as an estrogen relative to zearalenone.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zearalenol, alpha- Lactones Mycoestrogens Mycotoxins Resorcinols

See also

References