Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
08:14
Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans
Published on: April 28, 2023
Human ochratoxin a biomarkers--from exposure to effect
Sofia Cancela Duarte1, Angelina Pena, Celeste Matos Lino
1Group of Health Surveillance, Center of Pharmaceutical Studies, University of Coimbra, Health Sciences Campus, Coimbra, Portugal. sofiacanceladuarte@gmail.com
Critical Reviews in Toxicology
|March 16, 2011
Summary
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a harmful mycotoxin found in food. This review examines biomarkers for assessing human exposure and health risks, focusing on serum, urine, and OTA-DNA adducts.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Environmental Health
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a prevalent nephrotoxic mycotoxin with widespread occurrence in the food chain.
- Exposure concerns extend to inhalation in domestic and occupational environments, necessitating reliable exposure assessment methods.
- Biomarkers are crucial for understanding OTA's role in renal diseases and evaluating population risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and compare the advantages and disadvantages of various Ochratoxin A (OTA) biomarkers.
- To provide an overview of current knowledge on OTA biomarkers, including influencing factors like demographics and environment.
- To discuss the potential of OTA-DNA adducts as biomarkers of effective dose.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on Ochratoxin A (OTA) biomarkers.
- Analysis of serum/plasma and urine as matrices for OTA exposure assessment.
- Evaluation of OTA-DNA adducts and effect biomarkers.
Main Results:
- Serum/plasma and urine analyses are primary methods for assessing internal OTA exposure due to OTA's pharmacokinetic properties.
- Individual characteristics (gender, age), season, and geographical location can influence biomarker levels.
- OTA-DNA adducts are debated as biomarkers of effective dose, while effect biomarkers are generally unspecific.
Conclusions:
- Biomonitoring of OTA provides advantages over external dose monitoring for assessing population risk.
- Understanding biomarker variability is essential for accurate exposure and risk assessment.
- Further research is needed to validate OTA-DNA adducts and refine the use of effect biomarkers.
More Related Videos
09:44RNAi-mediated Control of Aflatoxins in Peanut: Method to Analyze Mycotoxin Production and Transgene Expression in the Peanut/Aspergillus Pathosystem
Published on: December 21, 2015
08:25Advanced 3D Liver Models for In vitro Genotoxicity Testing Following Long-Term Nanomaterial Exposure
Published on: June 5, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:36Types of Toxins
Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
01:26Toxic Reactions: Overview
When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
01:23Toxicity Testing in Animals
Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
01:00Drug Toxicity: Overview
Drug toxicity quantifies the harm a compound causes to an organism, varying by dose and potentially impacting whole systems or specific organs like the liver. Toxic reactions may arise from venomous insect or spider bites, with effects ranging from mild symptoms to severe outcomes such as brain damage or death. Common forms of acute poisoning include ethanol intoxication and overdose of pain or fever medications, with substances like GHB and heroin being particularly lethal at doses close to...
01:30Toxidromes: Clinical Features
Toxidromes are specific patterns of symptoms resulting from toxic substance exposure. They help in the identification and treatment of poisoning. The symptoms of each toxidrome group indicate poisoning by a certain class of chemicals or drugs.1. Sympathomimetic: Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Symptoms include agitation, increased heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), temperature, and pupil size. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines, along with tremors and...
01:24Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions
Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...