title: Rapid method for the determination of ochratoxin A in urine by immunoaffinity column clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography.
abstract: A rapid and accurate method to quantify ochratoxin A (OTA) at ppt (pg/ml) levels in urine has been developed. The method uses commercial immunoaffinity columns for clean-up and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detector for quantification of the toxin. Average recoveries of OTA from human urine spiked at levels from 0.05 ng/ml to 1.0 ng/ml ranged from 88% to 93%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 1% and 8%. Detection limit was 0.005 ng/ml. Out of 41 human urine samples, 25 were found positive to OTA with only one sample exceeding 0.05 ng/ml; the latter originated from a patient affected by karyomegalic interstitial nephritis. The method can be used as a rapid and non-invasive tool to assess human and animal exposure to OTA in epidemiological studies and to establish the possible role of OTA in acute animal intoxications or human end-stage renal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Tossine e Micotossine da Parassiti Vegetali, CNR, Bari, Italy. itmpmp21@area.ba.cnr.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pascale
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Visconti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity / Q000379:methods*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000652:urine*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000652:urine*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A