Treatment of pregnant mice ip with 5 mg/kg ochratoxin A on one of gestation days 7–12 resulted in increased prenatal mortality, decreased fetal weight (with the exception of those treated on day 9), and various fetal malformations. Exencephaly and anomalies of the eyes, face, digits, and tail were the most common defects. The most severe malformations were complete median facial clefts associated with exencephaly and eye defects. Skeletal defects also were noted involving the ribs, vertebrae, and skull.

The effects of citrinin, ochratoxin A, or a combination of the two mycotoxins on the hepatic monooxygenase system and on hepatic and renal adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activities were examined in neonatal rats exposed to a single treatment of one or both toxins. Animals received (po) 25 mg/kg citrinin, 1 mg/kg ochratoxin A, or 25 mg/kg citrinin plus 1 mg/kg ochratoxin A within 24 h of birth. Pups were killed 12 d later. Citrinin or ochratoxin A alone did not affect hepatic ATPase. Renal oligomycin-sensitive Mg2+-ATPase was inhibited to the same degree by ochratoxin A and the combination treatment. A synergistic effect of the two mycotoxins was observed on renal Na+-K+-ATPase. Significant effects, due to the mycotoxin interaction, were also observed on cytochrome P-450 content, NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase, and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase.

Penicillic acid (PA), a mycotoxin, is hepatotoxic. A study was undertaken to investigate its effects on hepatobiliary excretory function, using the anionic compounds indocyanine green (ICG), in mice and rats. Pretreatment with a single dose of PA (90 mg/kg, ip, an LD50 dose in both species) resulted in depression of ICG excretion in both species. This depression was dose- and time-dependent. Decreases of 42 and 57% in biliary excretion of ICG were observed in rats and mice 48 and 72 h after PA pretreatment, respectively. Although bile flow was depressed significantly when expressed in terms of body weight, it was not altered in mice when expressed in terms of liver weight. Bile flow was not affected in rats. While the serum ICG concentration was increased after PA treatment in both species, the liver ICG concentration was not affected. The liver-to-serum, bile-to-serum, and bile-to-liver ICG concentration ratios decreased in PA-treated animals. These data suggest that the PA-induced hepatobiliary excretory dysfunction may result from depression of both uptake of ICG into the liver and bile canlicular transport of ICG.

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A rapid method for the determination of aflatoxins was developed using high pressure liquid chromatography and a radial compression separation system. A standard solution of aflatoxins B1, B1, G1, G2, and M1 was analyzed at flow rates of 2.0 and 6.0 mL/min. Retention times, peak heights, and peak areas were reproducible over a 3-day period. Coefficients of variation for aflatoxin B1 at 2.0 and 6.0 mL/min were, respectively, 1.04 and 0.87% (retention time); 2.9 and 4.7% (peak height); and 8.2 and 4.7% (peak area). At 6.0 mL/min there was an approximate 25% loss in sensitivity but a greater than 50% reduction in retention time. Separation of all the aflatoxins was excellent using a dual flow rate of 2.0 mL/min with a change to 8.0 mL/min at 15 min post-injection. The applicability of the radial compression separation system for the rapid determination of aflatoxins in human tissues was also tested. Spiked samples of liver, serum, and urine showed good resolution of all aflatoxin peaks at the higher flow rates.