A 4-year study of plasma ochratoxin A in a selected population in Tokyo by immunoassay and immunoaffinity column-linked HPLC

Biomarkers of human exposure to ochratoxin A

“…Several studies -in Canada (Frohlich et al 1991, Scott et al 1998, Lebanon (Assaf et al 2004), Japan (Ueno et al 1998), Norway (Skaug 2003), Germany (Gareis et al 2000), northern Spain (Jiménez et al 1998), Italy (Tuscany) (Palli et al 1999) and Tunisia ) -found no difference with age in positive levels of OTA in human blood (adults). However, in a UK dietary exposure study (Gilbert et al 2001), plasma concentrations of OTA did appear to depend on age, with higher levels in 30-44 year-olds compared to <30 year-olds and >45 year-olds and this was significant for a screening sample taken 30 days before the start of the study.…”

“…Several studies -in Canada (Frohlich et al 1991, Scott et al 1998, Lebanon (Assaf et al 2004), Japan (Ueno et al 1998), Norway (Thuvander et al 2001, Skaug 2003, Sweden , Thuvander et al 2001, Germany (Gareis et al 2000, Hadlok 1993), Switzerland (Studer-Rohr et al 2000), northern Spain (Jimenez et al 1998), Hungary (Tápai et al 1997), the Czech Republic (Ruprich & Ostrý 1993b), Morocco (Filali et al 2002) and Tunisia ) -found no statistically significant gender differences in mean levels of OTA in human blood serum/plasma. In another study in Spain, Burdaspal and Legarda (1998) found 100% incidence of OTA in plasma and significant differences between men and women, with a greater mean OTA concentration in plasma for women in the summer (1.75 ng ml À1 vs. 1.12 ng ml À1 for men) and the converse in winter (0.97 ng ml À1 for women vs. 1.24 ng ml À1 for men).…”

“…An alkaline aqueous phase, such as acetone-phosphate buffer (pH 8) (Breitholtz-Emanuelsson & Hult 1991) or sodium bicarbonate buffer (Tápai et al 1997), has rarely been used in the extraction procedure to obtain data on OTA in human serum/plasma. Ueno et al (1998) proposed acetonitrile by itself as the extraction solvent for plasma. Cleanup procedures include solid phase extraction columns and immunoaffinity column chromatography.…”

“…In fact, urine concentrations showed a better correlation with OTA consumption than plasma concentrations. In addition to the above, mean daily intakes of OTA have been estimated from mean plasma/serum levels (all samples or positive samples) in studies on healthy humans in several other countriesCroatia (Peraica et al , 2001), Switzerland (Studer-Rohr et al 2000), the Czech Republic (Ruprich & Ostrý 1993a), Poland (Goliń ski et al 1991), Canada (Kuiper-Goodman et al 1993, Scott et al 1998, Japan (Ueno et al 1998), Lebanon (Assaf et al 2004), Algeria (Khalef et al 1993) and Morocco (Filali et al 2002) -and in healthy people and patients with Balkan endemic nephropathy in Bulgaria (Stoev 1998). Where blood concentrations have been reported, in order to relate these to serum concentrations another equation, which is derived from pig and human experimental data, is needed: Correlations between plasma OTA levels and specific types of food consumed have been shown for cereal products, wine, beer and pork in Norway and Sweden (Thuvander et al 2001) and for certain cereal products, sausages, red grape juice, chocolate with nuts and coffee in Germany (Gareis et al 2000).…”

Future scope of Japanese Association of Mycotoxicology (2002 Japanese Association of Mycotoxicology Award)

“…Application of ELISA for OTA demonstrated firstly the presence of OTA in human sera sampled in Tokyo 14) . The contamination of wine and coffee by OTA supported the evidence for human exposure to this carcinogen .…”