Distribution and elimination of fumonisin analogues in weaned piglets after oral administration of Fusarium verticillioides fungal culture

The distribution and elimination of fumonisins after oral administration of 50 mg FB₁, 20 mg FB₂ and 5 mg FB₃ per animal day^-1 for 22 days was studied in weaned barrows. At the end of the trial, the lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, brain, serum, bile, muscle, fat, urine and faeces samples were collected and their content of fumonisins (FB₁, FB₂) determined by LC-MS. The highest FB₁ concentrations were found in the liver (99.4 ± 37.5 ng g^-1) and kidneys (30.6 ± 10.1 ng g^-1), whilst the highest average amount of FB₂ was in the liver (1.4 ± 2.3 ng g^-1) and fat (2.6 ng g^-1 ± 4.8) samples. Comparing the FB₁/FB₂ ratio in different organs (19/1), it was found that the ratio in the abdominal and subcutaneous fat samples (4/1) was markedly different from those in all other tissues, namely the relative proportion of FB₂ was higher in latter cases. Of the total quantity of FB₁, the 13% taken up during 5 days was excreted unchanged with the faeces and urine. On average, in the urine and faeces, FB₁ was detected in nine- and 14-fold quantities, as compared with FB₂.