Ochratoxin A in nephropathic patients from two cities of central zone in Portugal

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by Aspergillus and Penicilliumgenera contaminates several foods. OTA is nephrotoxic to all animal species studied so far, and most likely to humans, who show the longest half-life for elimination of this toxin among all examined species. OTA has other toxic effects such as teratogenicity, immunotoxiity, genotoxicity, and is also mutagenic and carcinogenic, all of which lead to life-threatening pathologies through several molecular pathways.