Safety evaluation of sub-chronic oral exposure to ochratoxin A and citrinin in Wistar rats.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CTN) are naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by filamentous fungi that frequently contaminate food and pose risks to human and animal health. This study evaluated the systemic toxicity of subchronic oral exposure to OTA and CTN in Wistar rats following Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guideline 408. Fifty rats (25 males and 25 females) were randomly assigned to five groups: vehicle control, OTA (25 or 100 μg/kg), and CTN (25 or 100 μg/kg). Animals were orally dosed for 90 days, with clinical signs monitored daily and body weight and food intake recorded weekly. At study completion, haematological, serum biochemical, histopathological, and tissue distribution analyses were performed. No significant changes were observed in clinical signs, body weight, food intake, or organ weights. However, rats exposed to 100 μg/kg OTA or CTN showed significant alterations in haematological and serum biochemical parameters, accompanied by severe histopathological lesions in the kidney, liver, spleen, and intestine. In contrast, the 25 μg/kg dose caused only mild kidney and spleen toxicity. These findings provide the first comprehensive assessment of systemic toxicity following 90-day oral exposure to OTA and CTN in Wistar rats, supporting risk assessment of chronic dietary mycotoxin exposure.