Extract obtained from blood oranges and lemons may open new avenues to limit kidney damage induced by mycotoxin.

January 7, 2020

2 Min Read
Natural extract may counter kidney effects of mycotoxin OTA
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Ochratoxin A (OTA) is common mycotoxin, found in various parts of the world, that accumulates in animal feed and food due to favorable climatic conditions in agricultural environments, or due to improper storage of food components.

OTA has been shown to be nephrotoxic (kidney damage), hepatotoxic (liver damage), immunodepressant, genotoxic and carcinogenic for humans and for various animal species, according to an announcement from the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Naples Federico II department of veterinary medicine and animal production of in Naples, Italy, in collaboration with SHRO and the University of Siena, Italy, has discovered the effectiveness of a new natural-origin extract that may be able to prevent the nephrotoxicity induced by OTA.

The research was published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.

OTA represents a danger and a threat to human health and to various animal species, the announcement from SHRO said. A well-known mycotoxin, OTA is a secondary metabolite produced by several fungal species, particularly Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium verrucosum. It is one of the main food contaminants, especially in animal feed, cereals, coffee, wine, dried fruit and meat products, SHRO said. Recent studies have also shown its presence in alfalfa, food colors and even bottled water.

"OTA represents a worldwide problem, related to zoonosis for humans and animals," said Roberto Ciarcia, associate professor in the veterinary pharmacology and toxicology section of the department of veterinary medicine and animal production of the University of Naples Federico II. “This research was carried out on an extract obtained from blood oranges and lemons rich in cyanidin 3-glucoside and other polyphenols and opens new perspectives to limit kidney damage induced by OTA."

"The kidney is the target organ of OTA that induces a morphological alteration both at the glomerular and tubular level as well as interstitial fibrosis," said study first author Dr. Sara Damiano, who assessed the main oxidative stress parameters as well as the total function of the kidney, especially the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) through the clearance of inulin, and at the same time has demonstrated the important protective effect of this extract.

"The ability of the new natural extract to reduce nephrotoxicity is remarkable, as it normalized the activity of antioxidant enzymes and prevented the glomerular hyperfiltration often cause of kidney failure,” explained Salvatore Florio, full professor of the pharmacology at the University of Naples Federico II. “We hypothesize that this new compound may, therefore, be useful for scientific validation of specific natural food supplements to reduce the risk of exposure to OTA in order to improve food safety and minimize economic losses.”

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