Antifungal Activity of Seaweeds and their Extracts
Leonel Pereira in Therapeutic and Nutritional Uses of Algae, 2018
This fungus is known to produce the toxin ochratoxin A, one of the most abundant food-contaminating mycotoxins, and citrinin. It also produces the dihydroisocoumarin mellein. It is a filamentous fungus in nature and has characteristic biseriate conidiophores. Traditionally a soil fungus, it has now begun to adapt to varied ecological niches, like agricultural commodities, farmed animals, and marine species. In humans and animals, the consumption of this fungus produces chronic neurotoxic, immunosuppressive, genotoxic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Its airborne spores are one of the potential causes of asthma in children and lung diseases in humans. The pig and chicken populations in the farms are the most affected by this fungus and its mycotoxins (Bennet and Klich 2003).
Ochratoxins
Dongyou Liu in Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
OTA is a mycotoxin produced by the secondary metabolism of some filamentous fungi. It was first isolated in 1965 from a culture of A. ochraceus. Subsequent studies have revealed that a variety of fungal species included in the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium are able to produce ochratoxins, but also Neopetromyces muricatus has been reported to produce this mycotoxin.11Aspergillus genus contains at least 17 producing species, belonging to three different sections: Circumdati, Flavi, and Nigri.12Penicillium has two producer species: P. verrucosum and P. nordicum.13
Quality Control of Ayurvedic Medicines
D. Suresh Kumar in Ayurveda in the New Millennium, 2020
During growth on herbal substrates, some molds produce mycotoxins. Some of these substances like aflatoxins and ochratoxin A can be secondary metabolites, while others like fumonisins may be hydrophilic. Mycotoxins can be formed during cultivation or wild growth of the plant or during the storage of the harvested crude herb. Some ayurvedic herbs like licorice root may be contaminated by ochratoxin A. This toxin is produced by Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium verrucosum and several other species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Ochratoxin A is nephrotoxic and carcinogenic (Anonymous 2015).
The occurrence of ochratoxin A in human body fluids – review
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2021
Karolina Ropejko, Magdalena Twarużek
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a naturally occurring food-borne mycotoxin produced by several fungi, including Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius, A. niger and Penicillium verrucosum (Korn et al.2011, Bui-Klimke et al.2015). OTA is neurotoxic, nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, immunosuppressive and teratogenic in animals, though the evidence for these effects in humans is less conclusive (De Groene et al.1996, Petzinger & Ziegler 1999). OTA has been shown to inhibit the synthesis of proteins, DNA and RNA in the isolated cells and to contribute to renal toxicity by inhibiting various enzyme activities in the kidney (Bellver Soto et al.2016). Its presence in human body fluids, i.e. milk, urine, and blood suggest that it can gain systemic access to tissues but the principle target organ appears to be a renal system. It has been demonstrated that people suffering from Balkan endemic nephropathy and urinary tract diseases have higher circulating levels of OTA in their blood than healthy people, though the relationship may not be casual (Özçelik et al.2001, Scott 2005). The presence of OTA in human blood is also associated with a number of urinary tract diseases.
Milk thistle (Silybum Marianum) as an antidote or a protective agent against natural or chemical toxicities: a review
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2020
Sahar Fanoudi, Mohaddeseh Sadat Alavi, Gholamreza Karimi, Hossein Hosseinzadeh
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a natural fungal mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species. OTA has nephrotoxic (Sauvant et al. 2005), hepatotoxic (Aydin et al. 2003), carcinogenic and immunotoxic effects (O'Brien and Dietrich 2005). OTA immunosuppression effects were mediated by decreasing in antibody responses, reduction in natural killer (NK) cells activity and causing reduction in the bacteriolytic potential of macrophages (Stoev et al. 2000, Alvarez-Erviti et al. 2005). It has been demonstrated that silibinin (12.5 μg/mL) has protective effects against OTA-induced hepatotoxicity (2.5 μmol/L). This effect was mediated by inhibition of TNF-α release from perfused rat livers and isolated rat Kupffer cells and also decreasing the cytotoxicity of OTA (Al-Anati et al. 2009). In another study that evaluated protective effects of silymarin, researchers designed OTA-induced immunotoxic model in white Leghorn cockerels. They showed the immunotoxic effect of OTA (1 mg/kg) could be ameliorated by silymarin supplements (10 g/kg) (Khatoon et al. 2013). Also, OTA-mediated apoptosis and cytotoxicity was inhibited by another milk thistle flavanolignan, silibinin (Essid et al. 2012). This effect may be linked to the increasing in the Bcl-2 protein level and inhibition of caspase-3 activation by silibinin (Pook et al. 2006, Essid and Petzinger 2011).
Biosensors for the detection of mycotoxins
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Akansha Shrivastava, Rakesh Kumar Sharma
Molecularly imprinted polymers are synthetic materials mimicking molecular recognition by different biological elements and receptors. Binding cavities with a specific shape, size, and functional groups complementary to the template are created within the polymer matrix to mimic natural recognition entities like antibodies or other bioreceptors (Zamora-Gálvez et al. 2017). They are known for their robustness, resistance to changing temperature and pressure. It is an efficient and powerful tool for the extraction and detection of ochratoxin from a food sample. Many MIPs based biosensor have been explored such as electrochemical based biosensor, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and optical biosensors but MIP based electrochemical biosensors are quite popular (Ashley et al. 2017). MIP electrochemical biosensor designed for ochratoxin detection prepared by electro-polymerization of pyrrole with OTA as a template molecule. For further enhancement in its sensitivity, it was also assisted with magnetic nanoparticles leading to a new perspective for sensing purposes (Turan and Şahin 2016).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Allele
- Aspergillus Niger
- Heterozygote Advantage
- Mycotoxin
- Ochratoxin A
- Penicillium
- Miscarriage
- Carcinogen
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