Exploring mycotoxin exposure in Parkinson’s disease: no plasma level differences but dietary correlations emerge

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder influenced by both genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. While the roles of pesticides and heavy metals in PD have been widely studied, mycotoxins – secondary fungal metabolites commonly found in contaminated food – remain relatively understudied, despite experimental evidence of their neurotoxic potential. This study aimed to explore the role of mycotoxin exposure and PD by quantifying plasma mycotoxin levels and evaluating dietary patterns in 26 individuals with PD compared to 26 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Plasma samples were analysed for multiple mycotoxin content using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Dietary exposure was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to examine potential correlations between dietary habits and mycotoxin presence. Mycotoxins, including citrinin (CIT), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), ochratoxin A (OTA), enniatin B (EnnB), and tenuazonic acid (TeA) were quantified in plasma samples, with no significant differences in concentration levels or detection frequency between PD patients and controls. However, significant correlations were found between specific foods and mycotoxin levels (e.g. CIT with raisin bread, OTA with milk bread/soy, EnnB with rye bread/tortilla/whole wheat pasta, CPA with whole wheat pasta/tortilla, and TeA with white bread). While overall dietary patterns were similar, patients consumed more cake (Z = −2.406, ) and raisins (Z = −3.409, ), but less muesli (Z = −2.468, ) than controls. Although this proof-of-concept study found no significant association between mycotoxin exposure and PD status, the detection of multiple mycotoxins in both groups and their correlation with dietary patterns suggest a need for further investigation. Future research involving larger cohorts and longitudinal designs is warranted to elucidate the potential role of chronic dietary mycotoxin exposure in PD pathogenesis.