Effects of ochratoxin a on the mouse immune system after subchronic exposure

Polyphenols as possible bioprotectors against cytotoxicity and DNA damage induced by ochratoxin A

“…Moreover, OTA induced cytotoxic effects on rat lymphocytes. In agree with our results, some authors have reported a decrease in the percentage of splenic and thymic lymphocytes in murine models after in vivo treatment with OTA (250-500 g/kg bw) (Thuvander et al, 1995(Thuvander et al, , 1996Dortant et al, 2001). We observed that OTA caused more damage in the cell membrane of lymphocytes than in the mitochondrial respiratory chain.…”

Immunological responses of male White Leghorn chicks kept on ochratoxin A (OTA)-contaminated feed

“…Though the specific cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the immunotoxic effects of OTA are not known, inhibition of protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis, as well as degenerative/apoptotic changes in key immune system cells due to ochratoxicosis provide significant clues to determining how OTA mediates its effects (Sharma, 1993;Santin et al, 2002;Rocha et al, 2005;Al-Anati and Petzinger, 2006). In mice, feeding OTA-contaminated diet at 2.6 mg/Kg feed for 90 days resulted in the significant depression in the levels of CD4 + or CD8 + cell types and in the mitogenic responses to Concanavalin A (Thuvander et al, 1995). In an experiment, feeding OTA at 2 mg/Kg diet to broiler chicks for 42 days, Santin et al (2002) reported significantly lower humoral immune responses (as demonstrated by decreased titers to Newcastle disease virus).…”

Ochratoxin a: Its Cancer Risk and Potential for Exposure

“…Although OA did not have a direct effect on natural killer cells, OA was found to impair the induction of interferon, a requirement for natural killer cell activity, suggesting a possible role for immunosuppression in the cancer etiology of OA. Thuvander et al (1995) found that subchronic oral exposure of female BALB/c mice to OA at exposure levels similar to those found in foods resulted in a decreased proportion of mature CD4+ or CD8+ lymphocyte cells, suppressed antibody production, and decreased thymocyte cell counts. Thuvander et al (1996) studied effects on the immune system after perinatal exposure of dams to OA in Sprague-Dawley rats.…”