Balkan endemic nephropathy and aristolochic acid I: an investigation into the role of soil and soil organic matter contamination, as a potential natural exposure pathway

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health 2018-08, Vol.40 (4), p.1437-1448
• Main Authors: Gruia, Alexandra T., Oprean, Camelia, Ivan, Alexandra, Cean, Ada, Cristea, Mirabela, Draghia, Lavinia, Damiescu, Roxana, Pavlovic, Nikola M., Paunescu, Virgil, Tatu, Calin A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alkaloids; Aristolochia; Aristolochic acid; Aristolochic Acids - analysis; Aristolochic Acids - toxicity; Atmospheric particulates; Balkan endemic nephropathy; Balkan Nephropathy - chemically induced; Carcinogens; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Crops, Agricultural; Dust storms; Earth and Environmental Science; Endemic species; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Environmental studies; Etiology; Exposure; Food chains; Food contamination; Geochemistry; High-performance liquid chromatography; Humans; Humic Substances; Kidney diseases; Liquid chromatography; Mass Spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical sciences; Medicinal plants; Nephropathy; Organic matter; Organic soils; Original Paper; Plants (botany); Public Health; Seasons; Seeds; Soil; Soil contamination; Soil investigations; Soil organic matter; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Soil pollution; Soil Science & Conservation; Soils; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Terrestrial Pollution; Toxicity; Toxins
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-017-0065-9

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are carcinogenic and nephrotoxic plant alkaloids present in Aristolochia species, used in traditional medicine. Recent biomolecular and environmental studies have incriminated these toxins as an etiological agent in Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), a severe kidney disease occurring in the Balkan Peninsula. The questions on how the susceptible populations are exposed to these toxins have not yet been clearly answered. Exposure to AAs through the food chain, and environmental pollution (soil/dust), could provide an explanation for the presence of BEN in the countries where no folkloric use of the plant has been documented (Bulgaria, Croatia). Additional exposure pathways are likely to occur, and we have shown previously that AAs can contaminate crop plants through absorption from soil, under controlled laboratory environment. Here, we attempt to provide additional support to this potential exposure pathway, by revealing the presence of AAI in soil and soil organic matter samples collected from BEN and non-BEN areas. The samples were processed in order to be analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and ion trap mass spectrometry. Our results showed the presence of AAI in small concentrations, both in BEN and non-BEN soils, especially where Aristolochia plants and seeds were present.