Ochratoxin A kinetics: a review of analytical methods and studies in rat model.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a thermostable mycotoxin that contaminates a great variety of foodstuffs. It is nephrotoxic in all of the mammalian species tested, the pig being the most sensitive one; among rodents, rats are the most susceptible to OTA carcinogenicity. Kinetics, by studying the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics, is an important tool in the extrapolation of animal toxicity data for human risk assessment. The most important kinetic studies performed with OTA in rats are reviewed, together with the different methods used for OTA quantification in biological matrices. Twelve studies in Wistar, Sprague-Dawley or F344 rats, using radiolabeled OTA or TLC, HPLC-FLD or LC/MS have been summarized. Very often methods validated for food have been directly applied to tissues. Strain, sex and age differences have been detected but the interpretation is difficult due to the different experimental conditions, and the connection of the several factors that may account for these differences.