Masayoshi Kanisawa

Histopathological studies on the toxicity of ochratoxin A in rats. I. Acute oral toxicity

Abstract The acute oral toxicity of ochratoxin A was studied in adult male Wistar rats using single or multiple doses. The oral LD50 was estimated to be 28 mg/kg. The most striking pathologic changes following treatment occurred in the duodenum and jejunum, characterized by severe catarrhal or erosive enteritis which appeared within 4 hr after dosing and subsided within 24 hr. Although near-lethal single doses did not elicit any evidence of renal damage, after several consecutive daily doses, massive acidophilic degeneration with necrosis and desquamation of epithelium occurred in the proximal tubules. Necrosis of cells in germinal centers of the spleen and lymph nodes occurred, indicating a sensitivity of lymphatic tissues to the toxin. Hepatotoxicity was minimal, limited principally to depletion of hepatic glycogen.