Laboratorio di Epidemiologia Genetica ed Ambientale, Laboratori di Ricerca, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura Giovanni Paolo II, 86100, Campobasso, Italy.
Eur J Nutr. 2012 Oct;51(7):851-60. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0265-5. Epub 2011 Oct 29.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin present in food that can be found in human blood, due to its long half-life. Plasma OTA detection represents a good parameter for evaluating the exposure at the population level.
The relation between plasma OTA levels, dietary habits, and specific disease risk biomarkers (body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cardiovascular risk score) was investigated.
The study involved 327 subjects (150 men and 177 women) aged between 38 and 48 years. Food consumption was evaluated by means of the EPIC questionnaire; plasma OTA was measured by HPLC; CRP was determined in fresh serum samples by a latex particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay.
OTA was detected in 99.1% of plasma samples (LOD 25 ng/L); the mean ± SD value was 0.229 ± 0.238 ng/mL. However, only 5.2% of samples exceeded 500 ng/L, considered the threshold for a possible pathogenic activity. The estimated mean daily dietary intake of OTA resulted 0.452 ± 0.468 ng/kg body weight (bw)/day, markedly lower than the tolerable daily intake set by EFSA (17.1 ng/kg bw/day). Processed and mutton/lamb meat were found to contribute most to plasma OTA variance. Nevertheless, cereals, wine, beer, and jam/honey consumption correlated positively with OTA levels. Plasma OTA showed a significant positive association with CRP and cardiovascular risk score (β = 0.20 ± 0.08; P = 0.015 and β = 0.25 ± 0.08; P = 0.001, respectively); however, the association was present in men but not in women.
Even if the hypothesis of a possible hepatic toxicity of OTA in humans is yet to be verified, the positive association between plasma OTA and CRP may indicate a possible role of OTA in inflammation status and consequently in the genesis of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
赭曲霉毒素 A（OTA）是一种存在于食物中的真菌毒素，可以在人类血液中发现，因为它的半衰期很长。血浆 OTA 检测代表了评估人群暴露水平的一个很好的参数。
研究了血浆 OTA 水平与饮食习惯以及特定疾病风险生物标志物（体重指数（BMI）、C 反应蛋白（CRP）和心血管风险评分）之间的关系。
研究纳入了 327 名年龄在 38 至 48 岁之间的受试者（男性 150 名，女性 177 名）。通过 EPIC 问卷评估食物摄入量；通过高效液相色谱法测量血浆 OTA；通过乳胶粒子增强免疫比浊法测定新鲜血清样本中的 CRP。
在 99.1%的血浆样本中检测到 OTA（检测限 25ng/L）；平均值±标准差为 0.229±0.238ng/mL。然而，只有 5.2%的样本超过 500ng/L，被认为是可能具有致病性的活动的阈值。估计的 OTA 每日膳食摄入量平均值为 0.452±0.468ng/kg 体重（bw）/天，明显低于 EFSA 设定的耐受每日摄入量（17.1ng/kg bw/天）。加工和羊肉/羊肉是导致血浆 OTA 变异的主要因素。然而，谷物、葡萄酒、啤酒和果酱/蜂蜜的消费与 OTA 水平呈正相关。血浆 OTA 与 CRP 和心血管风险评分呈显著正相关（β=0.20±0.08；P=0.015 和β=0.25±0.08；P=0.001）；然而，这种关联仅存在于男性，而不存在于女性。
即使 OTA 对人类可能具有肝毒性的假设尚未得到验证，但血浆 OTA 与 CRP 之间的正相关关系可能表明 OTA 在炎症状态中可能发挥作用，从而在心血管疾病和癌症的发生中发挥作用。
