Table 2_Combined exposure to emerging Fusarium mycotoxins produces concentration-dependent synergistic toxicity in Jurkat T cells.xlsx

To analyze the dual and mixture interaction patterns among the mycotoxins, the study utilized the Chou–Talalay method for quantitative assessment of synergism and antagonism.</p>Results<p>The individual toxicity assessments yielded IC₅₀ values of 1.81 μM for BEA, 4.47 μM for ENN B, and 40.45 μM for MON, establishing the potency ranking of BEA > ENN B > MON. Across all treatments, cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, which was consistently accompanied by an elevation in intracellular ROS fluorescence signals.

Combination Index (CI) analysis of binary mixtures (BEA + ENN B, BEA + MON, and ENN B + MON) revealed synergistic interactions at low to moderate effect levels (IC₁₀–IC₅₀), which shifted toward antagonism at higher effect levels (IC₇₅–IC₉₀). In contrast, the ternary mixture of all three mycotoxins (BEA + ENN B + MON) predominantly exhibited sustained synergism across the entire evaluated concentration range (IC₁₀–IC₉₀).</p>Discussion<p>Overall, these findings demonstrate that co-exposure to BEA, ENN B, and MON leads to complex interactive toxicities, with the ternary mixture showing persistent synergistic effects based on Combination Index analysis.

Although these cellular responses strongly correlate with elevated ROS‐associated fluorescence signals, direct experimental validation is still required to confirm the specific downstream molecular mechanisms involved.</p>