Assessment of the Distribution and Elimination of Ochratoxin a in the Pregnant Rat1

The distribution and elimination of %H‐ochratoxin A was studied in pregnant rats following s.c. administration of a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg on day 12 of gestation. Elimination of radioactivity from serum was biphasic. The overall elimination (beta) half life was 55.88 h. Fecal elimination of radioactivity accounted for 29.1% of the total radioactivity in the first 24 h and 36.2% in 48 h. Radioactivity in the urine accounted for 6.7% of the total at 24 h and 8.6% at 48 h. Thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) of whole fetal extracts demonstrated the presence of the parent compound 12 h after maternal dosing, with peak fetal levels (64.2 ng/g) occurring at 48 h. Virtually all of the radioactivity from the extracts was equivalent to ochratoxin A by TLC. No metabolic congeners of ochratoxin were detected in fetal tissues.