Exposure to Ochratoxin A: Detection, Mitigation and Mechanisms of Toxicity
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 2771
Special Issue Editor
Interests: DNA damage by phenolic toxins including ochratoxin A; Modified DNA bases as fluorescent probes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the seminal paper published in Nature, 1965, van Der Merwe, Steyn, Fourie, Scott and Theron, reported the isolation of a new toxic metabolite, called ochratoxin A (now abbreviated OTA), from Aspergillus ochraceus. The mycotoxin contains a chlorophenolic moiety amide-linked to L-phenylalanine and exhibits strong blue fluorescence, which has played a key role in self-signaling detection of OTA in complex matrices. Experimental carcinogenicity studies in rodent models carried out in the 1980s demonstrated OTA to be a potent kidney carcinogen. OTA is regarded as the most toxic member of the ochratoxins, which have attracted considerable attention since they are one of the most abundant food-contaminating mycotoxins in the world and are classified as potentially carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). Ongoing interdisciplinary research on the ochratoxins have been concerned with detection in feed and human foodstuff, occurrence and estimation of dietary and inhalation intake, establishment of limits for human consumption based on risk assessment, understanding mechanisms of toxicity for the development of detoxification processes and determining the toxic effects of OTA in the presence of other mycotoxins. Recent highlights in OTA research include the development of aptasensor-based platforms that eliminate the need for complex instrumentation to deliver rapid, on-site detection, and formation of new OTA bioconjugates for immunodiagnostics. We hope that this collection of Toxins entitled “Exposure to Ochratoxin A: Detection, Mitigation and Mechanisms of Toxicity” will provide the readership with a better understanding of the key issues being addressed at the present time.
Prof. Dr. Richard A. Manderville
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Ochratoxin A (OTA)
- OTA occurrence
- OTA detection
- OTA mitigation
- risk assessment
- OTA biosynthesis
