Aristolochic acids: possible contaminants of soil in Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN) areas

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are carcinogenic and nephrotoxic plant alkaloids present in Aristolochia species and are considered a cofactor for Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN), a severe kidney disease geographically restricted to... [ view full abstract ]

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are carcinogenic and nephrotoxic plant alkaloids present in Aristolochia species and are considered a cofactor for Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN), a severe kidney disease geographically restricted to the Balkan Peninsula. Although AAs have been directly involved in the etiology of BEN, it is not yet very clear how the susceptible population is exposed to these toxins. Aristolochia clematitis plants have been widely used as traditional medicine by the villagers from endemic (and nonendemic) areas but this sole use would not account for the exposure levels necessary to induce the disease.
Additional exposure pathways are likely to occur and we have shown in previous research that AAs can contaminate crop plants through adsorption from soil, under controlled laboratory environment. Here we bring additional support to this potential exposure pathway, by revealing the presence of AAs in soil samples collected from BEN areas. The samples were solvent extracted in order to be analyzed and quantified by high pressure liquid-chromatography (HPLC) and the mass of aristolochic acid was confirmed by ion trap liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Our results show that the aristolochic acid is present in small concentrations, around or below 7 ng/g of soil, in the soil where Aristolochia plants grow and in the soil where Aristolochia seeds are present.

Acknowledgments: This work was funded by UEFISCDI Project PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4 -181/2015