Ochratoxin A: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity—An Overview

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, reprotoxic, embryotoxic, teratogenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, and carcinogenic for laboratory and farm animals. Male and female reproductive health has deteriorated in many countries during the last few decades. A number of toxins in environment are suspected to affect reproductive system in male and female. OTA is one of them. OTA has been found to be teratogenic in several animal models including rat, mouse, hamster, quail, and chick, with reduced birth weight and craniofacial abnormalities being the most common signs. The presence of OTA also results in congenital defects in the fetus. Neither the potential of OTA to cause malformations in human nor its teratogenic mode of action is known. Exposure to OTA leads to increased embryo lethality manifested as resorptions or dead fetuses. The mechanism of OTA transfer across human placenta (e.g., which transporters are involved in the transfer mechanism) is not fully understood. Some of the toxic effects of OTA are potentiated by other mycotoxins or other contaminants. Therefore, OTA exposure of pregnant women should be minimized. OTA has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor and a reproductive toxicant, with abilities of altering sperm quality. Other studies have shown that OTA is a testicular toxin in animals. Thus, OTA is a biologically plausible cause of testicular cancer in man.

The occurrence of ochratoxin A in white and parboiled rice

“…OTA was classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC 1993). OTA is one of the major contaminants of foodstuffs, food and feed (Malir et al 2013b), with cereals being viewed as the major source of daily OTA intake in humans (58%), before wine (15%) and pork meat (3%) (JECFA 2008). It is a fact that OTA remains a controversial topic, with opinions differing on its metabolism, genotoxicity, and mechanism of renal carcinogenicity.…”

Renal cell carcinoma: Review of etiology, pathophysiology and risk factors

“…Citrinin, often found in the same food as ochratoxin A (OTA), is a powerful nephrotoxin. After exposure, ochratoxins show nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, immunotoxic, neurotoxic, embryotoxic, teratogenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects in laboratory and farm animals 55 . Ochratoxin A is an important nephrotoxin with carcinogenic effects (IARC, WHO, 1993) (ref.…”

Cardio-respiratory development in bird embryos: new insights from a venerable animal model

“…Inorganic pesticides, organometals, and halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HPAH) are some of the chemicals identified as endocrine disruptors (ED) in part because of their high lipophilicity, their ability to irreversibly bind to macromolecules (i.e., DNA), and their ability to reversibly react at specific sites of the receptors and enzymes (Yu et al, 2011). The exploration of ED in early development has extensively used the avian embryonic model -for an entry into the literature see Malir et al (2013) and Roig et al (2014). As one example, however, compounds that interfere with gonadal estrogen (responsible for differentiation of female phenotype in birds) such as the ERα agonists propyl-pyrazole-triol (PPT) and diarylproprionitrile (DPN) and the ERα antagonist methyl piperidino pyrazole (MPP) disrupted the normal development of the female reproductive tract in chicken embryos, resulting in embryonic retention of the right Müllerian duct (which normally regresses) and the malformation of both ducts (Mattsson et al, 2011).…”