Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin that induces nephrotoxicity and urinary tract tumors, is genotoxic and can be metabolized not only by different cytochromes P450 (CYP) but also by peroxidases involved in the arachidonic cascade, although the exact nature of the metabolites involved in the genotoxic process is still unknown. In order to establish the relation between OTA genotoxicity and the formation of metabolites, we chose three experimental models: kidney microsomes from rabbit, human bronchial epithelial cells, and microsomes from yeast that specifically express the human cytochrome P450 2C9 or 2B6 genes. OTA-DNA adducts were analyzed by (32)P postlabeling and the OTA derivatives formed were isolated by HPLC after incubation of OTA in the presence of: (1) kidney microsomes from rabbit pretreated or not with phenobarbital (PB); (2) human pulmonary epithelial cells simultaneously pretreated (or not) with PB alone or in the presence of ethacrynic acid (EA); (3) microsomes expressing CYP 2B6 and 2C9. PB pretreatment significantly increased DNA adducts formed after OTA treatment, both in the presence of kidney microsomes and bronchial epithelial cells, and induced the formation of new adducts. Ethacrynic acid, which inhibits microsomal glutathione-S-transferase, reduced DNA adduct level. DNA adducts were detected when OTA were incubated with microsomes expressing human CYP 2C9 but not with those expressing CYP 2B6. Several metabolites detected by HPLC were increased after PB treatment. Some of them could be related to DNA-adduct formation. In conclusion, OTA biotransformation, enhanced by PB pretreatment, increased DNA-adduct formation through pathways involving microsomal glutathion-S-transferase and CYP 2C9.

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