Characterising okadaic acid (OA) toxicity both in vitro and in vivo, using a comparative porcine model (MOKAPIG).

Food toxicology helps to protect the health and safety of consumers by a better understanding of the impact of xenobiotics and natural toxins on public health. Professors Mauro Dacasto (UNIPD), Flavia Girolami (UNITU), and Anna Zaghini (UNIBO) have collaborated on a research assessing the impact of aflatoxin B1 (a harmful mycotoxin) on bovine and human health. In their current project, MOKAPIG, the researchers are using comparative human and pig in vitro models as well as the weaned pig as an animal model to shed a light on the fate of differing levels of okadaic acid (OA) in target tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and the liver. The goal of the two-year project is to expand the existing knowledge on the effects of OA on humans and pigs, including data on OA toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics and mechanistic toxicology. This will help to improve the protection of consumer health and seafood safety. MOKAPIG will first assess OA cytotoxicity and its bioavailability in vitro, characterise and profile OA metabolism and carry out comparative toxicogenomic studies. Then, the project will explore the in vivo toxicity of OA using a porcine animal model. The reasoning behind selecting a porcine over a rodent model is that mice show limitations for the assessment of marine toxins comparative toxicity, e.g, species-differences in xenobiotic metabolism.