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Ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) are nephrotoxic mycotoxins produced mainly by fungal species Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium citrinum, respectively, which have been found to occur together in various food and feed commodities. In the present study, both OTA and CIT were evaluated for their potential to induce oxidative damage by determining lipid peroxidation (LPO) through malondialdehyde (MDA) assay and apoptosis by flow cytometry, gel electrophoresis and renal ultrastructural morphology in rabbits fed with diets containing OTA (0.75 mg/kg feed), CIT (15 mg/kg feed) and OTA + CIT (0.75 and 15 mg/kg feed, respectively) up to 60 days. The concentration of MDA was found significantly higher in OTA and combination-treated groups. OTA and combination-treated groups revealed more apoptotic cells in flow cytometry when compared with the CIT-treated group. Characteristic DNA fragmentation, as evidenced by ladder pattern in electrophoresis appeared in the toxin-treated groups. Ultrastructurally, interstitial cells showed nuclear fragmentation and cytoplasmic blebbing in OTA- and CIT-treated groups; whereas, proximal convoluted tubular epithelial cells, besides interstitial cells, showed nuclear fragmentation in the combined treatment group. The results suggested that low concentrations of OTA and CIT either alone or in combination induced apoptosis in a time-dependent manner and LPO in the rabbit kidney, which appeared to play a major role in the pathogenesis of nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, the interaction of these two nephrotoxic mycotoxins was found to be additive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lantana camara, commonly known as wild sage, causes hepatotoxicity in grazing animals, characterized by intrahepatic cholestasis, liver damage and photosensitization. The present experimental study was undertaken to evaluate the comparative ameliorating effectiveness of four herbal plants, including Gingko biloba, Berberis lycium, Tinospora cordifolia, and Hippophae salicifolia against lantadene-induced sub-acute toxicity, which mimics the conditions of lantana toxicity in grazing cattle. The sub-acute toxic dose of lantadenes, 25 mg/kg bw was used for inducing toxicity in guinea pigs. A total of 44 guinea pigs of either sex were divided into 7 groups. Among these, 4 groups receiving herbal extracts were further subdivided into 2 sub-groups with 4 animals in each group. Sub-groups of each herbal extract treated group received plant extract at the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg bw, respectively. One group received silymarin which served as positive control. The oral administration of the freeze-dried methanolic extract of the ameliorating plants was started a week prior to the administration of lantadenes. The total duration of the trial was 21 days. The results of gross pathology, histopathology, apoptosis detection, serum marker enzyme values and oxidation stress levels suggested that G. biloba followed by B. lycium, T. cordifolia and H. salicifolia in decreasing order were effective in preventing lantadenes-induced damage in a dose-dependent manner. The results of apoptosis detection in liver tissue showed that lantadenes at the dose rate of 25 mg/kg bw were able to cause cell death both by apoptosis as well as necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]