[Ochratoxin A, ubiquitous mycotoxin contaminating human food]

Ochratoxin A (OTA) a mycotoxin produced by molds of the Aspergillus and Penicillium genera, contaminates animal feeds and human foods. It has been shown to induce renal adenomas and hepatocellular carcinomas in rodents. OTA is implicated in Balkan endemic nephropathy, a disease followed by a high incidence of urinary tract tumours. Concerning the genotoxicity of OTA, we have recently shown, using the [32P]-phosphate postlabelling method, that several DNA-adducts are formed in four mice organs treated with OTA. Some of the adducts were specific of every analyzed tissue. These results, allow us to state that OTA metabolism in different from organ to organ. The influence of OTA metabolism on its genotoxic effect was studied. Preliminary results have shown the possibilities of oxidative pathways in OTA metabolism leading to genotoxic compounds. Effects of some vitamins such as retinol (A), ascorbic acid (C) and tocopherol (E), which are known to act as superoxide anion scavengers, were tested on genotoxicity of OTA. Pretreatment of mice by vit E induced a decrease of the DNA-adducts by 80% in kidney, and by 55% in liver. Vit A and vit C decreased DNA-adduct levels by 70% in kidney. In liver, DNA adduct level was essentially decreased by vit C (90%). Vit A decreased only the level by 25% in this organ. The involvement of oxidative metabolism in the genotoxicity of OTA led us to investigate the effect of prostaglandin H synthase (PHS) which is known to cooxidase xenobiotics. Aspirin and indomethacin which inhibit this enzyme were given prior to OTA administration to mice in order to test this metabolic pathway. The decrease observed with aspirin was of about 90% and 30% in kidney and liver respectively, and of 90% and 80% with indomethacin in kidney and liver. These results confirmed that OTA is activated to genotoxic metabolites by cooxydation by the prostaglandin synthase route. Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) expressing or not human cytochrome P450s (CYP) (1A2, 2A6, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4) were incubated with 0.5 microM OTA for 24 h. DNA-adducts were detected in all cells. Total DNA-adduct levels ranged from 4 to 85 adducts per 10(9) nucleotides. Some adducts were common to all cell types including cells expressing only normal phase II enzymes, but no cytochromes P450. Some other DNA-adducts were only induced by specific CYPs. The highest DNA-adduct level was found in cells where CYP 1A2 was expressed. Nevertheless, more different types of DNA-adducts were formed in cells expressing CYP 2D6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)