β-Aminopropionitrile-induced aortic ruptures in turkeys: Inhibition by reserpine and enhancement by monoamine oxidase inhibitors

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Abstract Reserpine prevented mortality from aortic ruptures when a level of 0.07% BAPN was fed to turkeys. The tensile strength of aortas of poults fed 0.07% BAPN-reserpine was about 2.5 times greater than that of poults fed only BAPN. Larger amounts of lysine were found in isolated elastin from aortas of birds fed 0.07% BAPN than from the aortas of turkeys fed 0.07% BAPN-reserpine. Profound elastic fiber changes were seen in aortas of poults fed 0.07% BAPN; minor changes of aortic elastic fibers and collagenous fiber proliferation were seen in aortas of birds fed 0.07% BAPN-reserpine. Feeding of low levels of BAPN (0.02%) caused a low mortality rate. Addition of a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor (Nardil) to diets containing such a BAPN level resulted in high death rates, whereas reserpine in combination with these two chemicals resulted in a lower mortality rate. The tensile strengths of aortas from the last group were greater than that of the first group, but lysine content of isolated elastin was less. Little, severe, and moderate elastic fiber alterations were seen in aortas of turkeys fed 0.02% BAPN, 0.02% BAPN-Nardil, and 0.02% BAPN-Nardil-reserpine, respectively. The possible mechanism by which diets containing reserpine reduced the incidence of aortic rhexis induced by BAPN is discussed.