Long term preliminary studies on toxic and carcinogenic effect of individual or simultaneous exposure to ochratoxin A and penicillic acid in mice.

ABSTRACT

Carcinogenic effects of ochratoxin A (OTA) on liver, kidneys, intestine, muscles and subcutaneous tissue of BALB/c albino mice divided in three experimental and one control groups (30 mice in each group - 15 males and 15 females) and exposed to 10 ppm OTA and/or 50-60 ppm penicillic acid (PA) in the diet were seen. A total 22 neoplasias were found to be induced in the mice during 20 months' experimental period. Among them 14 were malignant and 8 benign. The number of neoplasias was significantly higher in the mice treated simultaneously with OTA and PA (14) compared to those in mice treated with OTA only (8). The number of malignant neoplasias was also higher (14) compared to benign neoplasias (8). Nine of a total fourteen malignant neoplasis and five of a total eight benign neoplasias were seen in the male mice. Pathological changes in mice after two weeks' experimental period were characterized by degenerative changes in kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract, which were better expressed in the mice exposed simultaneously to OTA and PA. A strong synergistic effect was found between OTA and PA towards tumorogenesis. It seems that mice are not a good experimental model for humans with regard to OTA-induced tumourigenesis, because the target organ of OTA-toxicity in humans or pigs is mainly the kidney, but not the liver, intestines, subcutaneous tissue or muscles as seen in this study.