RESUMO
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin which contaminates animal feed and human food and is nephrotoxic for all animal species studied so far. It binds to plasma proteins and is transported into target organs, especially the kidney. An attempt to prevent its toxic effects has been made using piroxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Piroxicam also binds strongly to plasma proteins and our hypothesis is that this drug could stop OTA-binding and transport into target organs, thereby preventing its nephrotoxicity. Our experiments on rats given OTA (289 micrograms/kg/48 h for 2 weeks) show that piroxicam prevents the enzymuria induced by OTA and increases renal elimination of OTA. In vivo, piroxicam could prove useful in preventing the chronic effects of ochratoxin A, mainly nephrotoxicity, at doses 5 mg/kg/48 h, which were not found to be nephrotoxic in experimental animals.