RATIONALE Over the past six decades, residents of farming villages in multiple countries of the Balkan peninsula have been suffering from a unique type of chronic renal disease, Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). It was speculated that environmental pollution by aristolochic acids (AAs) produced naturally by Aristolochia clematitis L., a weed that grows in the area, was causing the disease. However, the human exposure pathway to this class of phytotoxin remains obscure. Knowledge of the sink and stability of AAs in the environment would assist in the formulation of policy reducing exposure risk. METHODS Using our newly developed liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method of high sensitivity and selectivity, we analysed over 130 soil samples collected from cultivation fields in southern Serbia for the presence of AAs. The environmental stability of AAs was also investigated by incubating soil samples spiked with AAs at various temperatures. RESULTS The analysis detected AA-I in over two-fifths of the tested samples at sub-μg/kg to μg/kg levels, with higher concentrations observed in more acidic farmland soil. Furthermore, analysis of soil samples incubated at various temperatures revealed half-lives of over 2 months, indicating that AAs are relatively resistant to degradation. CONCLUSIONS Cultivation soil in southern Serbia is being extensively contaminated with AAs released from the decomposition of A. clematitis weeds. Since AAs are resistant to degradation, it is possible that AAs could have been taken up by root absorption and transported to the edible part of food crops. Prolonged exposure to AA-contaminated food grown from polluted soil could be one of the main aetiological mechanisms of BEN observed in the area.

中文翻译：

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从塞尔维亚采集的土壤样品中马兜铃酸的液相色谱-串联质谱分析：与巴尔干地方性肾病有关。

理性在过去的六十年中，巴尔干半岛多个国家/地区的农村居民一直患有一种独特的慢性肾脏疾病，即巴尔干地方性肾病（BEN）。据推测，该地区生长的杂草马兜铃菌（L. Aristolochia clematitis L.）自然产生的马兜铃酸（AAs）对环境造成污染。但是，人类暴露于此类植物毒素的途径仍然不清楚。了解AA在环境中的下沉和稳定性将有助于制定减少暴露风险的政策。方法使用我们新开发的高灵敏度和选择性液相色谱/串联质谱方法，我们分析了从塞尔维亚南部耕地采集的130多个土壤样品中是否存在AA。还通过在不同温度下孵育掺有AA的土壤样品来研究AA的环境稳定性。结果分析发现，在五分之二的被测样品中，亚微克/千克至微克/千克的水平检测到AA-1，在酸性更高的农田土壤中观察到更高的浓度。此外，对在不同温度下孵育的土壤样品的分析显示，其半衰期超过2个月，这表明AA相对抗降解。结论塞尔维亚南部的耕种土壤正广泛地被菌毛病菌杂草的分解所释放的氨基酸所污染。由于AA具有抗降解性，因此AA可能已被根吸收吸收并运输到粮食作物的可食用部分。