We thank Prof. Degen for her careful reading of our paper. We do not think that it is really a misunderstanding.The sentence should not be taken out of context. Moreover we indicated that different data clearly imply a PEROXY-DASIC pathway (not specifically prostaglandin synthase PGHS, also known as cyclooxygenase 1 COX1). We explained and demonstrated in our different papers that the two major pathways involved in the biotransformation leading to genotoxicity of OTA are: (i) co-oxidation via the lipoxygenase pathway, and (ii) co-oxidation via CYP epoxygenase. Perhaps the explanation for this conclusion was too brief and requires some clarification.The results obtained by Degen et al.[1], who observed a proportional increase of micronuclei formation in ovine cells treated simultaneously with increasing amounts of indomethacin and OTA appear at first glance to be contradictory to our results. On the contrary, our results, in the same range of relative indomethacin/OTA concentrations, are in complete agreement and also confirm the results obtained in vivo [2]. In fact, in the presence of 10 lM indomethacin and 16 lM OTA, Degen et al. DID NOT OBSERVE micronuclei formation, which correlates well with the in vivo study (9 lM indomethacin and 15 lM OTA, [2]) and our experiment in which total inhibition of DNA adduct formation was obtained when cells were treated with 10 lM of each compound. Degen et al.[1] interpreted their results as a competition between indomethacin and OTA for plasma protein binding. In fact, this could be partially involved as more free OTA would be available. Nevertheless, this is not the sole event and could not explain the other results obtained with either low dose of indomethacin, NDGA or epinephrine [3]. It is noteworthy that micronuclei in ovine seminal vesicle cells are observed only when cells were treated with 33 lM OTA, a dose which causes high cytotoxicity and inhibition of repair enzyme. Another major discrepancy between our model and theirs is the presence of the Ah receptor in the ovine cells. The induction of this receptor led to expression of CYP 1A isoforms. We have shown that the CYP 1A family was induced by OTA and implicated in its genotoxicity [4,5]. Thus, the results obtained in ovine cells could be due to an increase of toxifying CYP (1A), in conjunction with a decrease of PROTECTING enzymes such as PGHS. In our model, a close parallel between inhibition of lipoxygenases and/or CYP P450 epoxygenases pathways, and a decrease of OTA genotoxicity induced by pre-treatement with 10 lM indomethacin or NDGA were observed, whereas inhibition of some PGHS pathways is in relation with an increase of genotoxicity (0.1 lM epinephrin or indomethacin).Interestingly, the OTA derivatives formed with pig microsomes are similar to those obtain under culture cell conditions where lipoxygenase and CYP P450 epoxygenase activities were predominant compared to PGHS (i. e. cells pre-treated with 0.1 lM indomethacin or epinephrine). The hypothesis of CYP P450 epoxygenase being implicated in the for...