Study Reveals Mycotoxins in Food May Worsen Kidney Disease
Exposure to mycotoxins that can contaminate various foodstuffs is suspected of potentially accelerating kidney damage in people with diabetes. The findings emerged from research presented at the 8th Jakarta Nephrology Meeting (JNM) 2026, where it received the award for best scientific paper.
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain fungi that can grow on food, particularly when stored in humid conditions. The study, led by Edwin Hadinata, a lecturer at Ciputra University’s Faculty of Medicine and an internal medicine specialist, found that exposure to two types of mycotoxins, Ochratoxin A (OTA) and Citrinin, has the potential to worsen Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) through a cell death mechanism known as ferroptosis.
The research, titled ‘Integrated Toxicometabolomics and Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Ferroptosis-Driven Renal Injury Induced by Ochratoxin A and Citrinin Co-Exposure in Experimental Diabetic Kidney Disease,’ employed in silico, in vitro, and in vivo models, as well as UHPLC-Orbitrap HRMS-based metabolomics, to uncover the molecular mechanisms by which OTA and Citrinin exposure accelerates kidney injury in diabetic conditions. The study was a collaborative effort guided by experts in nephrology, internal medicine, and biomedicine, namely Iri Kuswadi, Metalia Puspitasari, Dante Saksono Harbuwono, and Fahrul Nurkolis.
The results showed that co-exposure to OTA and Citrinin disrupts the system xc–GSH-GPX4 pathway, triggering ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. This mechanism is believed to hasten kidney injury in individuals with diabetes.
According to the research team, the findings provide a new perspective that environmental factors, specifically food contamination by mycotoxins, may play a role in accelerating the progression of diabetic kidney disease. The results also open opportunities for developing therapies targeting the ferroptosis pathway, while reinforcing the importance of prevention through controlling mycotoxin contamination in the food chain.
The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that Ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin that can be found in coffee, cereals and their processed products, wheat, maize, rice, spices, cocoa, and dried fruits such as raisins and grapes, as well as wine, if these foodstuffs are contaminated by fungi during storage. Meanwhile, Citrinin is widely reported to be present in rice, cereals, nuts, spices, and fermented products based on Monascus or red yeast rice that have suffered fungal contamination.
Based on these findings, the research team believes Indonesia requires a nationwide epidemiological study to determine the level of OTA and Citrinin exposure in the population. This is considered crucial because commodities such as rice, coffee, maize, wheat, cereals, spices, and their derivative products are part of the daily diet of Indonesian people. Such data is expected to serve as a basis for formulating food safety strategies, monitoring mycotoxin exposure, and developing more comprehensive chronic kidney disease prevention efforts.
Hendy Hendarto, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Ciputra University, stated that the research demonstrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in examining the relationship between food safety and non-communicable diseases. ‘This research shows that environmental factors, including mycotoxin exposure from food, need to be considered as factors that can influence the course of diabetic kidney disease,’ he said. He added that the multidisciplinary approach used reflects the quality of the research and has the potential to become a foundation for further studies or the development of future prevention and therapy strategies. ‘We hope this achievement will inspire the academic community to continue producing innovative, collaborative, and impactful research for society,’ Hendy said.
The research led Edwin Hadinata to win first place at the 8th Jakarta Nephrology Meeting 2026, a scientific forum that brings together nephrologists, researchers, and academics from various institutions across Indonesia.