Ochratoxin A and Human Health Risk: A Review of the Evidence

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several fungal species including Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius, A. niger and Penicillium verrucosum. OTA causes nephrotoxicity and renal tumors in a variety of animal species; however, human health effects are less well-characterized. Various studies have linked OTA exposure with the human diseases Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and chronic interstitial nephropathy (CIN), as well as other renal diseases. This study reviews the epidemiological literature on OTA exposure and adverse health effects in different populations worldwide, and assesses the potential human health risks of OTA exposure. Epidemiological studies identified in a systematic review were used to calculate unadjusted odds ratios for OTA associated with various health endpoints. With one exception, there appears to be no statistically significant evidence for human health risks associated with OTA exposure. One Egyptian study showed a significantly higher risk of nephritic syndrome in those with very high urinary OTA levels compared with relatively unexposed individuals; however, other potential risk factors were not controlled for in the study. Larger cohort or case-control studies are needed in the future to better establish potential OTA-related human health effects, and further duplicate-diet studies are needed to validate biomarkers of OTA exposure in humans.

A risk assessment of dietary Ochratoxin a in the United States

“…OTA had been implicated in an endemic kidney disease observed in Eastern Europe (Balkan Endemic Nephropathy and related urinary tract tumors), but convincing epidemiological evidence associating this disease with OTA exposure is lacking (Bui-Klimke and Wu 2014). A systematic review of the epidemiological studies linking OTA with adverse effects in humans showed no evidence linking the two, except for one preliminary study (Wafa et al 1998) in which, unusually high OTA-exposed individuals also had a higher risk of nephritic syndrome (Bui-Klimke and Wu 2015). However, that study did not control for other potential risk factors, such as bacterial or viral infection, diabetes, lupus, and high blood pressure.…”

Quantification of mycotoxins in vegetable oil by UPLC-MS/MS after magnetic solid-phase extraction

“…Ochratoxin A (OTA) is produced by different species of fungi including A. ochraceus, A. carbonarius, A. niger and P. verrucosum, and it is an important food-borne mycotoxin that occurs in a wide variety of agricultural commodities ranging from cereal grains to dried fruits, to wine and coffee. Contamination generally occurs as a result of poor storage of commodities and suboptimal agricultural practices during the drying of foods (Bui-Klimke & Wu 2015;Marin & Taranu 2015). On the whole, mycotoxins contaminate a wide range of agricultural products, such as cereals, beans, oil seeds and so on.…”

Mycotoxins and Nuclear Receptors: A Still Underexplored Issue

“…Although the causative relation is still to be proven, a significantly higher exposure to OTA was proven for inhabitants from endemic regions than control regions [32]. However,further studies are need to better understand the role of ochraotxin A exposure in renal diseases [33,34].…”