Ceftiofur (CEF) is a third-generation and the first animal-specific cephalosporin that is widely used in animal husbandry. As a heat-labile antibiotic, the cytotoxicity of CEF after thermal treatment has been reported. This study seeks to investigate the potential toxicity of thermally treated CEF (TTC) in vivo based on acute oral toxicity studies and acute intraperitoneal studies in mice. Our data indicated that TTC exhibited significant increased toxicity in mice compared with CEF. TTC resulted in weight gain, hypercholesterolemia, hepatocyte steatosis and hepatocyte mitochondrial damage, and downregulated β-oxidation-related genes in mice in acute oral toxicity studies. In addition, TTC caused acute pulmonary congestion, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), prolonged coagulation time, and even death in mice in acute intraperitoneal toxicity studies. Our data showed that thermal treatment enhanced the toxicity of CEF in vivo. Lung and liver are the main target organs in the pathological damage process mediated by TTC. These findings suggested that residual CEF in animal-derived food may represent a potential food safety risk and pose a potential threat to human health.

头孢噻呋（CEF）是第三代也是首个动物特异性头孢菌素，广泛用于畜牧业。作为对热不稳定的抗生素，据报道热处理后CEF具有细胞毒性。本研究旨在调查的潜在毒性吨hermally吨reated Ç EF（TTC）在体内基于 小鼠急性口服毒性研究和腹膜内急性研究。我们的数据表明，与CEF相比，TTC对小鼠的毒性显着增加。在急性口服毒性研究中，TTC导致小鼠体重增加，高胆固醇血症，肝细胞脂肪变性和肝细胞线粒体损伤，并下调了β-氧化相关基因。此外，在急性腹膜内毒性研究中，TTC引起急性肺充血，活性氧水平（ROS）升高，凝血时间延长，甚至导致小鼠死亡。我们的数据表明，热处理增强了CEF在体内的毒性。TTC介导的病理损伤过程中，肺和肝是主要的靶器官。这些发现表明，动物源性食品中残留的CEF可能代表潜在的食品安全风险，并对人类健康构成潜在威胁。